


Soul of a Broken

by ForgottenMatter (Internet_Lemonade), Internet_Lemonade



Category: Undertale
Genre: Anxiety Attacks, Eventual Smut, F/F, F/M, Female Protagonist, Frisk Uses Sign Language, Genderfluid Frisk, Hate to Love, Identity Issues, Like really slow, M/M, Monsterphobia, Motherly Alphys, Multi, Only a few puns here and there, Or you're both, Papyrus isn't oblivious, Plot Twist, Possible Smut?, Racism, Reader Is Not Frisk, Reader is not punny, Reader-Insert, Selectively Mute Frisk, Slow Burn, Swearing, first fanfic, im not punny cut me some slack, lol how do you tag, monster hate, more tags to come, papyrus can cook, sans is a prick, theres a 50/50 chance, you aren't human or monster
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-22
Updated: 2017-05-15
Packaged: 2018-08-16 16:47:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 24,123
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8110015
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Internet_Lemonade/pseuds/ForgottenMatter, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Internet_Lemonade/pseuds/Internet_Lemonade
Summary: It was a simple, created monster soul—until it was injected with liquid determination, grew legs, and was given a new life.To live the best of both worlds, and the worst of both worlds simultaneously. Yet, he still thinks you have it easy.





	1. In which Alphys attempts to prove herself

**Author's Note:**

> Ah, the smell of a new work! I haven't exactly gotten my publishing schedule worked out yet, so please bear with me. Hope you enjoy!~

Dr. Alphys walked down the dark green celeste hallway of the once occupied lab. The amalgamates were now reunited with their families somewhere on the surface since the barrier had been broken. Yet here she was; back in the Underground testing, researching, experimenting.

She ventured through the unsettling and foggy laboratory, making her way to the generator room. She knew the structure and room layout like the back of her scaly hand, but of course, since she was the one who built it in the first place. The tiled floor softly echoing her footsteps as she makes a sharp left turn in the entrance of the room, met with a steel locked door and a hand scanner on the right of it.

She shakily placed her hand on the scanner to identify herself for clearance. The door creaked and groaned as the locks inside unlatched and the door slowly rose. She scuttled inside, the door closing behind her with a loud bang and resonating of metal hitting metal. Another dim lit hallway, and she came into her bright testing facility. The plain white walls reflected the lights within and created a sterile looking environment. 

Papers littered on top of the small desk that sat in the corner and stray Mew Mew Kissy Cutie posters were lazily thrown up onto the walls for decoration. Large test tubes hummed in the opposite corner and a large computer was situated on the adjacent wall. In front of said computer, was a small glowing vat. Even with the test tubes, the room was quite bare but the arrangement would have to do for now.

Glancing around the room, the small reptilian walked over to a red vat with acrylic encasing the middle and shakily placed her mustard clawed hand up onto the glass. The small grey soul suspended within floated and pulsed gently to her presence. This was the project she would use to prove to Asgore that she was a true Royal Scientist; though she concealed the project as a plan to allow the human officials to recognize her credentials. She was determined to create a soul on her own.

She typed a pin into the keyboard directly in front of the vat and the door opened slowly with a soft hiss. Reaching in and gently cupping the soul, she reached for her prepared syringe of liquid determination with her unoccupied hand. The syringe thrummed with energy as she held it firmly, mentally preparing herself. She knew what happened to monster souls if they received a high quantity of determination, and she couldn’t afford a repeat of previous events. 

With firm comprehension of her actions, she brought the syringe closer to the smoky soul and injected the syringe with a steady hand. She swiftly placed the soul into the vat and closed the glass door, effectively locking it inside. The soul pulsed erratically as Alphys quickly jotted down observations on a random piece of paper, her handwriting sloppy and crude.

*XX/XX/201X  
Time: XX:XX

‘Pulses inconsistently with higher dose of DT.  
No outstanding changes to soul.’

 

She glanced at the soul for additional notes and instantly paled. She nearly dropped everything in her shock and roughly clutched the paper, crumpling it in the process of scribbling.

*XX/XX/201X  
Time: XX:XX

‘Pulses inconsistently with higher dose of DT.  
No outstanding changes to soul.  
Soul has obtained a murky rose color.  
The structure is swelling and contracting rapidly.’

“O-oh my g-god..” 

Sweat beaded on her rough forehead as she opened the vat and cautiously cupped the soul and allowed it to float freely within the experimenting room.

It convulsed violently and grew, practically tripling in size. The energy it gave off was much too powerful for a normal monster soul to contain.  
Alphys backed up instantly and watched in horror as the soul began forming a peculiar form. 

‘This couldn't possibly be a simple monster soul. Have I made a mistake in the formula?’ 

Snapped from her shock, she raced over to one of the test tubes and flung open the door in haste. She pushed the shuddering experiment into the tube, quickly locking the door. The soul began to gradually thrash here and there as it took shape, though the reptile couldn't quite make out the form. As if answering her unspoken question, a light shined from the tube nearly blinding her as she raised an arm to shield her eyes. She slowly removed her arm and caught sight of the inside of the test tube. The wrinkled paper and pencil hit the tiled floor of the room, along with the doctor.

\--

“________, could you run t-those tests for t-that greying soul in Vat #308 p-please? I don’t think their c-condition is improving.” The scientist asked while straightening up her glasses and nervously wringing her hands.

“Certainly, Dr. Alphys!” You chirped, grabbing the soul’s documents on a clipboard, and swiftly walked down the hallway, your lab coat flying behind you like a cape.

The short reptile watched you take off down the hall and felt a small smile tugging at her lips. She walked back over to the computer to view the soul’s average magic percentage and status. While doing so, her thoughts went back to you. Her lab assistant. Her very own creation. No... Her very own child-- Wait what?! 

She stole a glance towards the hallway you disappeared down and was eternally grateful you couldn’t see the shade of crimson she was currently flaunting. She did create you after all, however, she had never thought about it that way. Technically speaking, she was in fact your “mom”, though she would never tell you. Or should she? Wouldn’t you deserve to know?

“Er, Dr. Alphys? Is everything alright?” you questioned, directly behind her. 

The scientist jumped, nearly dropping her glasses, while putting a hand up to her chest. She hadn’t even heard you re-enter the room, much less heard you approach her. She turned around to face you with a sheepish smile. How long had you been standing there? How long had she been spacing out?

“A-ah, of c-course! Um, w-why do you a-ask?” Alphys readjusted her glasses for the millionth time this afternoon, peeking at the clock behind you before making eye contact again.

“Well, apart from the fact that you were staring at the wall for the past five minutes, you looked a little pale.” Your furrowed your eyebrows and eyed the scientist curiously, to which she gave a nervous laugh and tensed.

“I-it’s nothing. Just a b-busy day, r-right?” she sighed and slouched, dismissing the topic with a short wave of her hand. “H-how was the s-soul?”

“Oh yes! I diluted the concentration of liquid DT it was receiving. Apparently, the strong mixture was too high for the soul’s current magic capacity to handle. I’ll do a check-up on it in about a week to see how it goes.” You scribbled something on the clipboard in your hand and looked back at the scientist with a smile.

Alphys nodded, thoroughly impressed by your quick thinking. Had you not come up with a solution..

“T-that’s great, ________! I’ll be l-looking forward to seeing that s-soul a healthy white.” She said while collecting her things.

“You can count on it, doc.” You gave her a thumbs up before noticing she was getting ready to go, the smile fading into a slight frown. “You’re leaving already?”

“Yes.. Um, I-I have a d-date with m-my g-girlfriend this e-evening.” She stuttered and flushed a dark pink. The sight of the flustered scientist brought a small smile back to your face.

“You mean Undyne, right?” The scientist nodded, looking completely enamored. You remembered Dr. Alphys always going on passionate rants about her girlfriend when you brought her up, but you had never gotten the chance to meet her. “When can I meet her?”

Alphys was effectively snapped out of her daydreams at the question and flicked her eyes everywhere else but your own. Suddenly the pale green walls were very interesting. “U-um.. I-I don’t k-know? Soon? U-uh…” She grabbed her two sets of keys and shut down the huge computer. “S-see you t-tomorrow!” She shouted a bit too eagerly for her liking. You could feel the scorching heat from the properly named region as she scrambled out the door, dodging the topic once more.

“S-someday, _______. I p-promise.” She ruefully whispered to herself as she tried to focus more on the date she had.


	2. Wrong Place Wrong Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> im pretty bad at chapter summaries, so don't expect them unless something important is happening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think a chapters a week will work for me, so here is the chapter for this week!

After Alphys’ departure, you took it upon yourself to spruce up a bit around the laboratory. You started by organizing the current monster soul records that were on the doctor’s desk, then swept the floors, and finally organizing her ever growing stash of manga. You checked the time up on the wall and saw it was getting pretty late, though you weren't very tired as you thought about Alphys dashing out to avoid your question.

‘Maybe I could take a walk through Waterfall’ you mused. You always loved the calming aura and the “stars” on the ceiling. The scientist told you that they would never compare to the real stars, and you couldn’t bare the wait until you could see them for yourself. The scientist even mentioned the warmth of the Sun and the fresh air on the surface, adding more to your longing.

You quickly hung your lab coat onto the coat rack and used the opposite exit as the scientist. You were practically dying in the heat of Hotland and quickened your pace, briefly waving at the few monsters you saw along the way. Now that you thought about it, you’ve only seen a handful of your kind. Humans. Or at least that’s what Dr. Alphys called them when you asked about the differences between you both. Dr. Alphys had always been with you, and was practically your guardian ever since you.. woke up? You couldn’t remember much about that day, except for the fact that you were completely nude, the scientist was sprawled on the floor and was a ghostly white.

You glanced up and saw you were already in Waterfall, over a rocky bridge with a small flowing river beneath you. The cool air was already soothing your burning skin and you took a seat with your feet dangling off the edge of the bridge. You closed your eyes to treasure the time to yourself and your thoughts, while straining your ears to see if you could hear the music box from the statue room. 

\--

“I-I don’t understand w-why this has to b-be now.” The scientist irritatedly stated. “This i-is the second time I’ve had to call o-off a date with Undyne!”

The King sighed and looked at the scientist without stopping. “I understand, Dr. Alphys, and I’m terribly sorry for the inconveniences this has caused. But I am quite positive you know how strict the rules regulating this Underground laboratory are becoming. Unless you would like to see it shut down by the human officials, please allow us to inspect the lab, and we will be along our way.” 

“it should only be around ten to fifteen minutes. we check around both labs for any unusual projects and if you’re all good, we can put this behind us. right, al?” The skeleton was walking to the right of the scientist, hands in his pockets per usual. 

“I-I suppose y-you’re right.” The reptile admitted and wringed her hands. Unusual projects. They wouldn’t think you were an unusual project, right? “E-er, just to m-make sure, w-what is considered a-an ‘u-unusual project’?”

“Hm, reviving the dead, experiments using radioactive or nuclear materials without correct documentation, injecting souls or humans with liquid determination due to previous events,” Asgore eyed Alphys from the corner of his eye before resuming,”torture, etcetera. Shall I go on?”

Liquid determination experiments were definitely not banned 2 months ago—were they? Was that how long had she been devoting her life, to give you your own? On the process of doing so, she only placed a burden onto you, without your knowledge. Some Royal Scientist she thought. 

At this rate, she would have another panic attack. 

‘Get a hold of yourself, Alphys. Words, form them. Breathe in, breathe out.’ 

“U-um, n-no. But, I-I have t-to m-make a c-call. I-I’ll catch u-up!” The scientist quickly stopped in place, grabbed her phone and hastily punched in a number. She pressed the call button and raised the phone to her ear, while the King and the skeleton shared a curious glance at her over their shoulders before continuing into Hotland.

Oh, how Alphys despised making phone calls but desperate times called for desperate measures. The person on the other end finally picked up after a couple of rings.

“Hello? Dr. Alphys? Is everything alright?” Your voice sounded worried. You hardly got phone calls from the doctor unless in a dire situation. 

“_________, where are y-you?” The scientist didn’t have time for introductions but tried to make her voice sound casual.

“”Uh, Waterfall. Did you need something?” The response elicited a sigh of relief from the scientist.

“ U-um n-no, just c-checking on y-you! Y-you should, u-uh, stay t-there for a w-while, you are a-always such a h-hard worker. W-Well, talktoyoulaterseeyoubye!” She knew she didn’t sound convincing for a second, but that didn’t matter as she hung up. Her worries were put to rest.

For now.

-

Alphys had finally caught back up to the King and the short skeleton as her lab came into view. She still felt uneasy as you could return at anytime but hopefully Asgore and Sans had been true to their word with the short timespan of the inspection. The three monsters entered the lab, while Sans cracked jokes about Asgore having to stoop down to enter. 

“let’s get this over with, almost time for paps’ bedtime story.” Sans lazily drawled. Asgore nodded and gave him a clipboard and a pen to fill out the examination form. They dispersed to look over the different rooms, including the true lab, leaving Alphys alone in the main room. 

The scientist took this time to whip out her phone once more, opening the messaging app and tapping your chat log.

‘*Hey, are you still at waterfall?’

The scientist sent the message quickly and waited for a reply. The phone buzzed, vibrating the Mew Mew Kissy Cutie keychains on it as well.

‘Yeah. You’re starting to freak me out, doc. I thought you were on that date? And why did you hang up on me?’

‘* Sorry about that, the service is bad in the restaurant. And I can’t check on my lab assistant for no reason? ;p, ’ She hovered her fingers over the keyboard and thought of a plausible excuse to be texting on a date. ‘Undyne had to go to the restroom.’ 

Mentally facepalming herself, she knew it was a stupid excuse as the phone buzzed again.

‘Pfft, TMI lol. Well have fun, I think I’m gonna head back to the lab in 20 mins. Getting tired, haha’

The scientist cringed. That would only leave about five to ten minutes for her to kick out the unexpected company after the evaluation. Her tail bounced in unease as she typed a response.

‘*Ok, well gtg. Text me when you leave!’

‘Can do!’

Alphys pocketed her phone in her purse, straightened up her black and white polka dot dress, and walked over to her desk. She lit up to see her manga books sorted in alphabetical order and the soul records neatly stacked on right side of the wooden surface. A small post-it was sticking out of the current book she was reading, that was at the center of the desk. She flipped to the page and read the small handwritten message.

‘Thanks for everything, doc. I owe everything to you.

♥ __________’ 

At the bottom of the yellow note, there was a small doodle of the scientist and yourself in which the scientist nearly teared up at. She unlocked her phone again and went back to your chat log.

‘*Omg! Thanks for that note, ________. It was so sweet and thoughtful! ≧ w ≦’

Without thinking, the scientist pressed the send button, watching the notification go from delivered to read.

‘You’re at the lab?’ The device buzzed back.

The yellow reptile blanched and couldn’t think of a response. Maybe she should just tell the truth, lies got her nowhere as she had come to find out. But she would be breaking a safety law that could potentially get her laboratory shut down for good. She sighed, conflicted at the situation that was arising.

‘*Yes, just stopped by to check up on it.’

‘You got there pretty fast. You and your high tech contraptions. :p’

‘*Yep, you know me. lol.’ 

‘I’m almost there. Already in Hotland, so don’t leave yet.’ Alphys re-read the message 5 times before it registered. She panicked and dropped her phone, the device hitting the floor with a smack. She picked up the device, checking for any cracks or scratches, which there wasn’t. 

“uh, you ok there, al?” A deep baritone voice came from behind her, causing her to jump a bit. Sans chuckled as Alphys turned around to face him.

“Y-Yep, so h-how’s the inspection? E-Everything a-alright?” The scientist inquired nervously, pocketing her phone as the phone buzzed from a notification.

“mhm. everything seems to be in order from what i’ve seen, so guess we just gotta wait for asgore.” The skeleton signed the bottom of the paper and dated it, verifying that the inspection occurred and was valid. Asgore was always thorough and probably wouldn’t be done for another 5 minutes.

Sans sauntered over to the desk behind the scientist and plopped down in the seat, grabbing the book in the middle and looked it over. “new manga?” He flicked his pinpricks over to her.

“Y-Yeah, Undyne b-bought it for m-me!” The scientist smiled. 

“cool. you guys make a cute couple.” He lifted the book, looked at the covers and read the summary as Alphys blushed. He then flicked through the pages, glancing at the pictures within until the small yellow note fell from one of the pages and drifted onto the desk. “oo. exclusive material huh? don’t remember these in any of your other books, doc.” 

Alphys scrambled for the paper but the skeleton’s hand snatched it out of reach and read it. His pinpricks went from the note, to the scientist, and back to the note again as a tense silence filled the room. 

“________’s a character in the story, i presume?”

“U-Uh, y-yes!”

“thats neat, tibia honest though, it looks like real handwriting. must be a bonus feature. and they got your name and a picture too? fancy.” The skeleton shrugged and placed the note back into the correct page and the book back on the desk. He leaned back in the seat and closed his eye sockets with a sigh. 

Alphys took out her phone and played a couple of games she had downloaded onto it. Her favorite one was by far the anime dating simulator she programmed herself, as she always named the date ‘Undyne’. A metallic knock and then the sound of whooshing air came from the laboratory door as Sans merely cracked open an eye.

“Um, hey Dr. Alphys and company?” Your unknown voice got Sans fully awake as he looked at you. The scientist wanted to crawl in a hole and die as she began sweating bullets.

“heya, kid. who are you?”

“Oh, I'm _________! Dr. Alphys’ lab assistant!” You chirped and smiled.

“really, now? that sure is interesting.” He peered over at the quivering scientist.

“I guess so, who are you?”

“i’m sans, sans the skeleton. so uh, mind telling me what you are exactly?” 

He looked at your soul, but only saw a dirty pink coloring. Monster souls were always white and human souls were always a vivid color of the corresponding soul trait. The only time a human soul would lose color was if they were severely injured, physically or emotionally. This was rather unusual to the wary skeleton.

“I’m a human? Why are you interrogating me? And what's so interesting about my shirt?” You asked pointedly.

“ah, nothing. nice to meet ya, i’ll go see what’s keepin’ asgore” He hopped off the seat, grabbing the evaluation sheet firmly, and strolled toward the true lab entrance. “alphys, i think you’d better come too.” 

The scientist sighed and nodded. “__-________, I’ll be b-back s-soon.”

“Alright, doc. Bye.” You waved and watched her disappear into the “washroom” along with Sans.


	3. In Which The Situation is Assessed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ooo, what's this? An extra chapter for the week?

Sans’ slippered feet padded soundlessly down the hallway of the true labs, with a shaking Alphys in tow. The skeleton knew something was odd with that “human’s” soul, how had he not piece it together before?

“what were you even thinking.” It was a statement, an angry statement, made toward the scientist.

“I-I don’t k-know. I just w-wanted to create a s-soul to p-prove m-myself...” The scientist tried to reason with the skeleton, but instead earned two black sockets shot in her direction, effectively shutting her mouth.

The rest of the walk was uneventful as Alphys scanned her hand allowing the door to be opened and the sound of humming began to get closer. They entered the experimenting room to find Asgore evaluating an empty red vat, the acrylic busted and glass scattered the area around it. Alphys had never gotten to cleaning that up.

“Ah, Sans. I trust you found everything in order, correct?” The King’s voice boomed throughout the room, rumbling the test tubes slightly. 

“actually, that’s what i came to talk about,” Sans stuffed his hands in his pockets and threw another glance at the scientist before continuing. “seems our alphys here has indeed broken a safety protocol.”

“But Y-Your Majesty, I-I swear I didn’t-”

“Dr. Alphys,” Asgore rose a hand to silence to reptile with a stern expression. “Do tell me which protocol has been broken.”

“I e-experimented using l-liquid DT, sir,” Taking a deep breath, the scientist fidgeted and wrung her hands. “I-I didn’t k-know!”

Asgore gently rubbed his temples and sighed. “Alphys, I cannot just let this matter go without consequences, but first we must find out the severity of the situation. Where is this experiment in question?”

“i’ll go get em.” The skeleton blipped out of existence before returning with a disorientated figure, dropping them on the floor without a care. You made a small choked noise before shakily getting onto your feet and rubbing the arm you were dropped on.

“Ow! What the heck did you just do? How did I even get here?” You turned to see the King staring at you curiously.

“Very interesting, Dr. Alphys.”

~  
After Alphys had disappeared from view, you decided to get some work out the way for tomorrow; you weren’t going to sleep until she returned. You unlocked the huge computer and opened the monster souls’ database. Pulling up the information for Vat #308, you typed in the specific concentration of determination it needed. You updated the records and glanced at the other improving souls to find nothing else out of order.

‘Great. Less work to do tomorrow’ you thought and stretched. You strolled over to Alphys’ desk to see the stack of records slightly disheveled and scowled. You spent all that time straightening it up for this? You gently picked up the beige folders to organize them once again until you were alerted to the distinct smell of something...electrical? 

Suddenly you were grabbed from behind by someone and thrown into complete darkness. It felt like you were falling and your voice was caught in your throat, preventing you from screaming. You shut your eyes tightly as your stomach did flips until you were roughly dropped onto the floor. 

The “trip” hardly lasted a second and your brain struggled to catch up, with your stomach threatening to discard dinner’s contents. Your voice came out choked and your arm was throbbing slightly.

You rose to your feet slowly to attempt to give your “attacker” a piece of your mind.

“Ow! What the heck did you just do? How did I even get here?” You turned to see the King staring at you curiously and Sans with a giant smile plastered onto his face, to the King’s left.

“Very interesting, Dr. Alphys.” The regal, deep voice boomed. Alphys had told you of the King many times, assuring you that he wouldn’t harm a fly. Seeing him in person made you question that entirely.

Alphys ran up to you and steadied you on your feet before shooting a death glare towards the smirking skeleton. “Y-You didn’t have to d-drop her, Sans!”

The skeleton shrugged and closed his eye sockets as the King looked conflicted.

“I’m alright, doc, thanks. So what’s going on here?” you inquired nervously. Alphys allowed you to stand on your own as she turned her attention back to the King as well.

“Well, Dr. Alphys here has violated an experimenting safety protocol. I requested the experiment in question be brought back here, but I did not expect it to be a human.” 

Alphys flinched at the bluntness of the king and Sans watched through one half opened eye socket as the situation played out.  
“Experiment? What experiment?” You were beyond confused with this whole ordeal and just wanted to go to sleep. 

Asgore turned to address the scientist. “You have not told her?”

“N-no. N-not yet..” The reptile wrung her hands nervously and hung her shoulders.

“Tell me what? What’s going on?” This was just annoying you, everyone else appeared to be in the loop except for you.

“what dr. alphys neglected to mention to you is that you are one of her experiments, a created monster soul with liquid dt.”

You felt a pang in your chest as you tried to process this information. Surely he was just lying to you and you felt your anger build up.

“That’s not true! Dr. Alphys found and raised me!,” You stopped and then realized. “ Or at least that’s what she told me. But even so, I’m not an experiment! I’m a human. Right, doc?”

You looked over to see Alphys’ shaking and sweating, appearing to be having a staring contest with the white tiles on the floor. There was your answer. You felt your throat closing up as you fought to hold back tears. How could she just lie to you like that?

“B-but, how? Why?” you couldn’t stop yourself from stuttering and your head was throbbing.

“I-I’m s-so, I’m s-so s-sorry, ________” The scientist voice was barely a whisper and she still wouldn’t make eye contact. The King refrained from making a comment and Sans still had that shit eating grin. 

“What’s going to happen to her?” You looked up at the King and Alphys looked completely taken back by your question. You weren’t sure why; she lied to you but she did it for the best, right? 

“I will have to mark it as a violation on the inspection sheet, which will be take up and reviewed by the human officials; they will have the final word about the situation. I will suggest, however, you begin packing up the items around the lab. I do not think it will be running for much longer.” 

The King looked sympathetic, but his words were far from it. Sans made a tsk sound through his teeth in mock pity. After a few moments of silence, the King spoke up once again.

“Guess we will be on our way. I did not wish for it to come to this, Doctor. I’m hoping they will compromise on a fair punishment for you. I will be alerting Undyne and the others about the circumstances at hand. Try to have a good night Doctor, and it was nice to meet you, _______. Goodbye.”

With a wave off his mauve cape, he walked back down the hallway and the faint whoosh of the metal door could be heard. The skeleton lingered behind.

“what a shame, doc. we could have all been friends too.” Alphys remained silent, frozen in the same position.

“Piss off, Sans. She’s had enough obviously.” you hissed. The skeleton snapped his attention towards you, that annoying shit eating grin of his returning.

“and look what we have here. the very cause of this whole ordeal, telling me to ‘piss off’. are you sure i shouldn’t be the one telling you that? anyways, the most the doc could get is a couple years in jail, but you,” He chuckled darkly. “buddy, even i wouldn’t want to find out.” And with that, he teleported out of the room.

A sick taste was left in your mouth as you glared at the space the skeleton had once taken up. You’re certain you absolutely despise Sans. 

Alphys’ breathing was getting shallow and she began shaking violently. She tried to say something but it was choked and she fell to the ground. 

“Doc? Dr. Alphys, you have to breathe.” You ran to her side and fell to your knees to help her. She shut her eyes tightly and you could see her pupils dashing madly behind her eyelids. You grabbed her hand to give it an encouraging squeeze.

“Dr. Alphys, you can get through this. I know that you didn’t tell me these things for the best, so I’m not going anywhere,” You looked her in the eyes as she opened hers. “Whatever happens, we will get through this together, ok? You have to breathe, doc. Come on, in and out. In and out.”

Slowly but surely the doctor’s breathing began to calm down at your gentle coaxing. It had been a while since she had an anxiety attack, but you couldn’t blame her, the situation was scaring you as well. You helped the doctor to her feet once her trembling had stopped and then gave her some space. 

“I-I’m ok. I-I’m ok. Thank y-you, ______.”

“Are you sure? Do you need a glass of water?” You were very worried about the scientist’s health, especially since her punishment was still not known.

“N-No, I’m ok,” She waved her hands and exhaled, slowly making eye contact with you. “Y-You aren’t.. mad?”

You thought about it. Could you even truly get mad at the scientist when all she was trying to do was protect you? Nope.

“Of course not, Doc,” You gave her a reassuring smile. “Now come on, you have a hot fish monster to go back home to.” You gently nudged her in the side with your elbow and laughed as she blushed and nodded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> dating start! (finally) -audible wink-


	4. The Letter Arrives

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I love the progress im making in this story. it's really fun to type up.m
> 
> Also, I love the feedback/comments and kudos! I appreciate the support and it gives me a warm, fuzzy feeling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updating once a week will definitely work best for me!

The atmosphere of the lab the following week was a complete contrast to the last. What was almost tangible curiosity brimming from the laboratory before the news, was now nothing but doom and gloom. You and Alphys had been working almost 3 days packing up all the equipment in the lab after you had gotten the large tan envelope ordering the it to be shut down immediately. Inside was the extremely detailed paper of the violation that had been broken along with a document that required all monster souls within the laboratory to be shipped to the address given below within a week. 

You were especially glum after seeing Alphys pack up the soul inside Vat #308; the soul you wanted to see glow a pure white. The laboratory that was once filled with all sorts of humming and glowing equipment was now stripped down to the bare white tiles and tea green walls. You could practically feel the depression radiating from the scientist as she looked at the room with mournful eyes. With a press of a button on the side of the giant computer, it compacted into a laptop; a feature you had not even known. How she did it was beyond you. 

“G-Guess this is i-it, huh ________?” The scientist placed the laptop into its carrier and put it over her shoulder.

“Yep. It was a good run though. Glad I had these memories with you, doc.” You attempted to give her a smile but it was forced.

“At l-least I can b-be at h-home with Undyne m-more.” She still turned pink at the thought of this until realization dawned on her. “Oh my g-god, _______!” The scientist basically ran up in front of you with a very concerned look.

“What?” 

“You d-don’t even have anywhere t-to go. Oh g-god,” She slapped a hand on top of her forehead then reached to get her phone from her pocket. After dialing a number, a loud female voice answered; Alphys had made the right choice holding the phone about 4 inches from her face.

“U-Um, Undyne? A-Are you h-home?”

“Yeah! Need somethin’, babe?” Alphys blushed at the name and stammered.

“U-Um, c-could y-you look in the guest r-room?”

“We have all of our shit in there, Alph. Can’t even open the door ‘cause it’s blocked by all the boxes we haven’t unpacked. Sorry.”

“Oh, o-ok. W-Well, uh, thanks a-anyways. See you l-later.”

Undyne sighed over the phone after sensing the dejected tone in her girlfriend’s voice. She dropped her voice to a whisper and Alphys brought the phone closer.

“Babe, I know things aren’t going to well right now, but we can get through it ok? Love you, gotta run.” Alphys smiled at her girlfriend’s rarely shown gentle side, how it always helped her through tough times. Undyne hung up and the scientist dialed another number. It rung a bit before a voice only a tad softer than the previous had picked up.

“Hello, Dr. Alphys! How may I, The Great Papyrus assist you?”

“U-Um, yes, h-hello Papyrus. T-This is a h-huge favor, but w-would you happen t-to have an e-extra room?”

“Indeed! Are we having a sleepover?”

“S-Sort of? But t-thanks, anyways. W-Wait, c-could you pick u-us up from M-Mt. Ebott?”

“Certainly, I’m on the way!” 

“A-Alright, thank you!”

“Anytime, Doctor.” Alphys hung up and pocketed her phone, breathing a sigh of relief before looking back at you.

“So, what’s going on?” you inquired, though from the information you could hear, you were going to be staying at one of her friend’s house. The thought made you nervous and elated at the same time.

“W-Well, Papyrus is o-on the way to p-pick us up r-right now and you w-will be staying with them.”

“That’s great! Wait, them? Who else?” The scientist fidgeted at the question and refrained from holding eye contact.

“U-Um,” She wrung her hands and her tail bounced from side to side. “Sans.” The name was spat out quickly and you almost didn’t catch it. You wish you hadn’t though, as the same sick taste returned in your mouth. Of course, him of all people.

“There wasn’t anyone else I could stay with?,” The scientist shook her head. “Are you sure? What about Asgore?”

“A-Asgore lives alone, i-in a one bed apartment c-close by Toriel’s. T-They haven’t exactly started l-living together, and T-Toriel already h-has Frisk t-to take care of.”  
“Oh.” Guess there really wasn’t a choice after all. You were nervous at how he react, which was more than likely negatively.

“We s-should probably g-get to t-the surface. Papyrus w-will be here any m-minute.” In other, happier circumstances, you probably would be all over the place with excitement. 

“Yeah, you’re right.” You carried some of the vats to help Alphys, and left the packed up boxes in the lab. The officials would be coming down to collect them and instructed you to leave them in the laboratory. 

-

The trip to the barrier room was uneventful, but once you saw the sunlight you couldn’t help but feel awestruck. You ran into it, feeling how it was warming up your slightly paled skin. You tried looking at the Sun but your eyes burned and watered, forcing you to look away. You inhaled the fresh air and tried to engrave this moment in your head. You would have definitely done this sooner if Alphys hadn’t forbade you from going past the judgement hall. 

The sound of a horn snapped you out of your finally fulfilled fantasy, and you looked to your right. Down the road on the side of the hill was a red convertible with a skeleton smiling giddily inside. They made a waving motion, signaling you to walk down the hill. 

“Y-You can just leave the v-vats for Papyrus, h-he’s very strong for a skeleton.”

You nodded and placed the vats gently on the ground, secretly feeling the grass below your shoes. You could feel each individual blade of the plant and made a mental note of the texture. Finally standing up fully, you slowly made your way to the bottom of the hill towards Papyrus, though it seemed the closer you got, the taller he became. Nope, he was already tall and practically hovering over you as you closed the distance between the both of you.

If he wasn’t smiling before, he was definitely now; almost to the point that you wonder if his skull was going to crack. From this distance you could see his peculiar battle armor? You were barely a foot into what would classify as his personal space until you were scooped up into a hug, though gently. 

“Human! What a pleasure to finally meet you! I, the Great Papyrus, have heard many good things about you! I presume you are the one who will be staying with me and my brother?” He was still hugging you and your feet were no longer in contact with the ground.

“Yes, thats me. Its nice to meet you Papyrus, I’ve heard good things about you too!,” You smiled then added,”Um, could you please put me down?”

“Oh yes, of course, human,” He placed you down before looking at your chest, similar to the way Sans did when you first met him. “Eh? Why is your soul a dim pink? Are you unhealthy?” The skeleton’s face was scrunched up in concern, you marveling at how malleable it was and how fluid the expressions he made were. 

“Um, no. I’m one of Dr. Alphys’ experiments..” You looked away from Papyrus’ eye.. holes(?), to avoid the shameful look you were probably receiving. To your surprise, he lit up even more. His aura was that of a child’s and you were already beginning to get protective of this tall skeleton.

“Oh? So then you are a monster? That is very unique, you resemble a human so closely that even I couldn’t tell the difference.” His cape waved in a sudden breeze as he struck a heroic pose, a genuine smile pulling at your lips.

“As much as I would love to tell you everything, I think Dr. Alphys needs some assistance with the vats.”

“Ah, yes. I will be back in a jiffy, hum-, er..” 

“________. I never did introduce myself, whoops.”

“That’s fine, even I, the Great Papyrus, makes mistakes too, though I try not to. I will be back in a jiffy, ________! Here are the keys, could you open the trunk for me after I return?” You nodded and watched as he sprinted up the hill at unexpected speed and endurance. Before you knew it, two vats were already at your feet and you hadn’t even opened the trunk. With a small pop, you lifted the lid up and placed in the vats carefully.

Eight more vats later, you finally closed the trunk as Papyrus and Alphys made it down the hill, with the latter being carried by the former. Alphys was carefully set down by the passenger’s side of the vehicle and Papyrus rounded the car to enter through the driver’s side. You opened the back doors of the car and closed the door behind you, buckling your seat belt. Safety first.

The car revved to life and soon you were driving past hundreds of buildings, leaving no competition for the ones located Underground. You gazed at the different shaped buildings and all of the people, though you were confused at how sparingly you would spot a monster amidst them. Maybe there were more like you after all; half monster, half human.

You watched as Papyrus stopped at a large black gate and pulled out a white card to scan it. The gate slid open and you peered at the houses in the neighbourhood. Many of them were two floored and quite large. It wasn’t hard to tell that this was a pretty rich community.

The lanky skeleton slowly pulled into the garage of a one floored house, very similar to the one you saw in Snowdin.

“Um, Papyrus? Where did you live before you came to the surface.”

“Snowdin!” The skeleton exclaimed happily, flashing you a smile in the mirror before turning off the engine. “Here we are, my humble aboat!” Well that explained it.

“I-It’s abode, Papyrus.”

“Oh. Well. Welcome to my humble abode, anyways! Please come inside.” Papyrus hopped out of the car and ran inside, leaping over the three stairs, and made sure to leave the front door open for the two of you.

“Hey, doc, are you staying here?” You opened the door and stepped out along with the scientist.

“N-No. Undyne s-should be here i-in a few so I’m g-going to stay in here.” 

“Well, alright. See you later, doc.” She nodded and smiled before pulling out her phone and playing on it. Of course she would have an believable excuse not to come inside.

You looked at the house and decided you didn’t care if Sans hated you as well. It wasn’t your fault he was a complete dick to you and Alphys. Well not completely your fault, but whatever! You walked up the stairs with bravado, closing the front door behind you.

The house had an odd burnt smell mixed with the smell you got when you opened an old book. It wasn’t unpleasant, but was in fact an interesting scent to get use to. The house looked much bigger than it seemed from the inside, compared to the outside. You walked down the hallway and saw the living room on your left, the kitchen on your right, and the bathroom at the end of the hallway. 

You carefully made your way into the living room, looking at the bookcase full of physics and jokes books, along with a few astrology books in between. Some of them had collected dust but were brand new while others looked worn.

You walked through the living and into another hallway that led to three more rooms. One of which had a Jolly Roger flag on the outside of the door and was at the very end of the hallway, the light within escaping underneath the bottom. The room on your right was opened and you could see the sunlight pouring out of it invitingly. The last room, however, was closed and had no light under the door.

You knocked on the door at the end. 

“________? Is that you?” There was a shuffling coming from inside and you couldn't see through the small crack in the door. On closer inspection for the door frame, you could see it was a couple inches taller than the other two.

“Mhm. Alphys isn’t coming inside, she said Undyne was coming to pick her up so she stay in the car.” 

“Aw,” The door opened revealing the tall skeleton, forcing you to look up at him. “I was hoping to prepare some spaghetti, but I can't allow that greasy pizza in the refrigerator to go to waste. You may help yourself to it if you're hungry.” 

You watched as his face scrunched up in disgust as he said the word ‘greasy’. Your mind was far from food at the moment as you were worrying about something else. “Actually, Papyrus? Um, is your brother home?” you whispered.

“No, I'm afraid he isn't. He should be at work, if he's not at that greasy establishment. Grillby’s, I think that is the name. He eats there everyday, always avoiding to eat my healthy spaghetti.” Papyrus looked offended and then looked back at you. “Sorry about that.” 

“It's no problem, Paps,” You slapped a hand over your mouth as the nickname slipped out. “Uh, I mean Papyrus, oh god I'm so sorry!” 

“It's fine, _______! You may call me whatever you'd like. We’re friends now or more accurately housemates? Is that a word?” He looked at you and you shrugged as a reply. “Well it is now! Anyways, have you seen your room yet?”

You shook your head as he tsked and walked around you. You followed him inside and saw the queen sized bed with an ivory comfortable and matching sheets and pillows. There was a bookcase and a desk as well a large window on the side of your bed. You fantasized about waking up to the sunlight on your skin in the mornings.

Well you were fantasizing, until Papyrus leapt on the bed and almost bounced right off. You laughed and joined him, soon jumping on the bed like the child at heart you were. Papyrus had to crouch to avoid hitting his skull on the ceiling (though you would feel for the ceiling instead of the skeleton) and resembled a froggit. You were laughing so hard that you lost your footing and fell off the bed

Two strong and bony arms lifted you with ease as Papyrus stepped off the bed and set you down.

“I assume that's enough horseplaying for today.” He grinned and backed up. “How do you like the room?”

“I love it! Thank you so much Papyrus.” You hugged him. Well you hugged his legs, but that still counted! 

“Anytime, _______!”

The sound of the front door opening made your heart beat, essentially killing the happiness you felt. Papyrus ducked out of the room and down the hallway as you strained your ears to listen.

“hey, pap. ‘m home.”

 

Fuck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uh oh.
> 
> (anyone notice that this chapter is longer?)


	5. In Which More Puns Are Told

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A bit of Sans' p.o.v for ya! I promise I will add a full chapter dedicated to only his p.o.v when the time comes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> kudos and comments help me know how well my work is doing, so don't be afraid to leave either or both! ;)

~  
“Yo, look at that.” The teenager on the right “whispered” to the left while walking past his stand.

“Does it really think anyone wants to a buy a hot dog from an outdated corpse?” The left one commented, wanting their voice to be heard by the skeleton.

“I don’t know why they won’t just go back Underground where they belong.” They shared a snicker and a glance at the monster.

He was used to it all; saddening, but that was the reality of it. If he had a nickle for every compliment he’d ever received, he’d be right where he was now-- working 4 jobs to support his younger brother. But oh, how his brother brightened up his day, even when nagging at him about being lazy. The slight grin the taller skeleton tried to hide when the shorter told his puns. How he glowed with confidence when reassured about his greatness.

The same reason he doesn’t break his collected facade when dealing with racism and monsterphobia-- when truly he wishes to show them what this ‘outdated corpse’ could do. 

The teenagers strolled by, obviously thinking they had gotten to the him. Maybe a month ago, but nowadays? It was a wasted effort. Sans checked his phone for the time, seeing that it was time for him to go home, this being the last job of the day. He walked out from the back of the stand and looked up at the darkening sunset. He could never get used to the beautiful colors it made, how it changed every evening. He’d deal with resets over and over again if it meant being back on the surface.

 

Like hell he would.

The skeleton teleported to the front door before unlocking it and walking in. His sibling always fussed about how Sans would just teleport behind him, and would ‘scare the dickens out of him’. The short skeleton chuckled at the word. Heh. Dickens. He felt like he could be himself when he was home. No judging. No hate. No teenagers coming by and egging his stand. Just bad puns and glitter spaghetti; yeah, that was up his alley. 

He heard movement from the hallway by the bedrooms which was no other than his beloved brother.

“hey, pap. ‘m home.” Sans thought he heard a sharp intake of air from down the hallway, but how could he? Only him and his brother lived there. He waved it out of his mind, directing his full attention to his brother.

The taller skeleton rounded the corner and lit up at the sight of Sans, scooping him up in a hug (which he honestly needed but would never admit). “Welcome home, brother! How was your day?”

“pretty good. sold some hotdogs, tutored some kids. the same old, same old.” he lied. Truthfully, he hadn’t sold a single hotdog in about a week, and it was hard to find human guardians willing to let a monster tutor their children. His income was mainly from working as a security officer at a monster friendly university. Once they promoted him as promised, he could drop the stand and tutoring business. He never cared for them anyways.

“Good to hear! Oh, I also have some good news as well.” The younger skeleton was practically beaming; whatever got his brother this happy could mean either that calculator dropped by or worse. 

“oh? and what would that be?” The skeleton tried to keep on a genuine smile, but was failing as he thought of the worst: ‘Me and Mettaton are getting married!’

“We have a new housemate! Also, I made that word up.” 

“oh thank asgore, i thought you were- wait what. who?” 

“I’ll go get her!,” The skeleton turned around to go back into the hallway before turning back around. “Don’t even think about contaminating her with your terrible puns.” Sans watch how the younger’s face was now firm and serious before turning away as if nothing happened. The first time Papyrus had done that, he couldn’t get his bones to stop rattling. Papyrus could be truly terrifying if he tried hard enough.

A new housemate, huh? Nothing he couldn’t handle, just tell a few puns as usual. The skeleton had gotten excellent at reading personalities and intentions from experiences that he never wanted to repeat again. He wishes he could just forget. 

There was shuffling and whispered voice trailing from down the hall. Sans could only make out a few words as he walked over to the couch and plopped down.

“Don’t.. wanna…. my brother...puns……..hate.”

Interesting, the skeleton thought. Maybe he should go check it out--nah. If there was one thing he loved, it was doing absolutely nothing. The whispering stopped and was replaced by muffled shouting that got louder as they neared the living room. Sans trained his pinpricks at the opening of the hallway, waiting for this new, unexpected guest and his brother to make an appearance.

And oh, did they.

~  
“Put me down, Papyrus!” You flailed your arms trying to catch the lanky skeleton off guard to no avail. “I don’t wanna go out there.” you whisper-shouted.

“But _________, he’s just my brother. I’m sure you will like him, just maybe not his puns. But you two will get along just fine!”

“He hates me, Paps.” You attempted to reason, but was obviously failing.

“How do you know that? You two have never even met before, have you?” He made direct eye contact and you flinched.

“Er, no?” 

“Then let’s get you two acquainted right away!” The skeleton cradled you like a baby and raced down the hallway.

“Please, Papyrus! No!” you pleaded and flailed. You tucked your face into his battle armor and attempted to cover your face with his crimson cape. 

“Well, here she is!” 

“papyrus. why the hell is that here.”

Papyrus placed you down but you ran behind him, catching a glimpse of Sans looking directly at you with dark eye sockets, his signature smile was now a tight frown. You shivered and looked away.

“Firstly, brother, her name is _________. Secondly, she is here because she has nowhere else to stay. Just a simple act of kindness for my friend, yes?”

Sans simply grunted but you could feel the static of his magic and the growing tension in the room. You were further disturbed at the fact that his smile returned, nearing shit eating levels. 

“alright. guess if she’s ok with you, she’s ok with me.” The shorter shrugged, the tension and magic in the air dissipating.

“Oh, well. Alright then! I’ll go make spaghetti, I suppose? I’ll take on the challenge of making it without glitter this time!” Papyrus scratched the back of his skull in confusion and sauntered off towards the kitchen.

You were left in your now exposed spot, somewhat stunned by what just happened. “..Did you mean it?”

Sans chuckled, an actual chuckle this time. “‘course I did,” He extended his hand. “don’t you know how to greet a new pal?”

You gave him a sheepish smile while extending your own hand. He snatched yours up and pulled you close to him, a small yelp escaping your lips. You could smell the same old book scent mixed with what you now identified as ketchup from the close proximity.

“if you try anything. and i mean anything, you’re really not gonna like what will happen.” His breath(?) was hot in your ear as he growled. You looked up to see his left eye socket boasting a flickering cyan and gold pupil.

You were terrified and nodded, gesturing that you understood. His neutral smile returned along with his pinpricks as he shoved you away from him and teleported into the kitchen. You couldn’t get your legs to stop shaking as the scenario replayed in your head. You knew this was a huge mistake, feeling the confidence from earlier drain from you. 

You eventually joined the skeleton brothers at the kitchen table only adding a few comments to statements or questions that were directed toward you. You were off in la la land, daydreaming about your own place preferably somewhere sunny. 

“-other spaghettis are impastas.” You caught the tail end of that dreadful pun and simultaneously groaned with Papyrus. 

“Sans, that was terrible.” You rolled your eyes at the skeleton as his smile grew.

“aw really? guess i gotta use my noodle.” he smirked, tapping his skull with a digit.

“Sounds pretty hollow in there to me.” You giggled as Sans shot you a glare, then chuckled. Papyrus looked done with the world. It was weird seeing how different he acted in front of his brother, you could have almost forgotten he hated you and vice versa. 

Several puns and complaints about the terrible said puns later, Papyrus collected the dishes and began washing them, humming softly. You shuffled back into the living room to watch TV with a full belly, soon joined by Sans to your surprise. 

“so.”

“So?”

“how’s life?”  
“Why are you trying to interact with me?” You asked with genuine curiosity as he was giving you mixed messages. You looked around the room making sure it wasn’t just an act for if Papyrus was in the room.

The skeleton lazily shrugged. “thought i could find out why my brother likes you so much. besides the shared fact that you don’t like my puns but do at the same time.” He winked at you. 

“I’m going to cut to the chase, why don’t you like me? What did I ever do to you?” You positioned yourself on the lime green sofa to face him. He looked around the room for a bit, deep in thought before making eye contact again.

“it’s getting late, don’t ya think?” He stood up and yawned to further prove his point. “think im gonna hit the hay, i’m bone tired.”

You ignored the terrible pun and stood up as well, seeing that you were in fact taller than him by a couple of inches. “You answered my first question, why can’t you just answer this one? Besides you’re always tired.”

“i’ll tell ya tomorrow, kid. you should probably go to sleep as well. in your own room. in your own bed, alone.” You blushed at what he was implying, though you didn’t think you could see yourself with a cinnamon roll such as Papyrus.

“Promise?” 

“i don’t make promises, kid.” You huffed and pouted.

“Well then what do you make?” You instantly regretted the sentence as it flew it out of your mouth, earning yourself a shit eating grin from the skeleton.

“puns. see ya in the morning, bud.” He blipped out of the room and you sighed, either from exhaustion or maybe even anticipation? 

The fact that he went out of his way to maybe change his opinion about you made you ecstatic, though you couldn’t help but still feel confused. You sauntered into your room, closing the door behind you. 

Plopping on the refreshingly cool covers, you laid contemplating your day. Your thoughts strayed to Sans and how mixed you felt about him. You felt as though you should be pissed at him for earlier, but at the same time you felt as though you should turn the other cheek. 

But what was he trying to do?

 

What were his intentions?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lol dickens.


	6. Intentions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is a smol chapter just trying to clear up Sans' thinking process.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we go inside sans' skull

Sans tried to give people the benefit of the doubt when it came to judging their character. He tried to keep a neutral opinion about you, as he should do. But he just couldn’t. His past experiences with Frisk and by extension, Chara, made him become stubborn about any reasoning other than his own. 

He would sneak up behind the kid every reset, praying to whatever deity there was that dust wasn’t on their periwinkle and violet sweater. He should have stopped them then when there was, or at least attempted to. But he didn’t. He watched from the shadows as they murdered the entire Underground; but he could never watch his brother fight. He always had the timing perfect though. The sound of knife cutting bone and the five second count before his brother’s dusting skull made a small crunch in the snow.

Yes, he should have done something then. But certainly if he had, he wouldn’t be where he was now, right? In his bed, with a house in a monster friendly neighbourhood with his brother. And well, you. His thoughts were so conflicted when it came to you. Should he be more friendly as he had with Frisk? Or should he just halt all interactions as he did the day he first met you?

Perhaps Papyrus did see something in you that he was just too closed off to see. But his sibling saw the light in every darkness, even if he were looking into a black hole. Sans sighed while shifting onto his side on his bed. His wrinkled and rolled up sheets hit the carpet floor but he didn’t bother picking them up. He was too lost in thought about what to do. 

He always had a hard time meeting new people nowadays, since he couldn’t figure them out sans resets (ha). Not like he wanted any more resets to occur just for him to become accustomed to everyone’s actions and personalities. But he wished you had come later, when he had everything sorted out. 

But one thing he couldn’t figure out is why he was overthinking it all. You were just Alphys’ experiment with nowhere else to go. Half human, half monster. But those four words plagued his mind. You were simply created and brought onto the surface with privileges monsters wish they could have. You knew nothing about the suffering monsterkind had to go through to even get to where they were now, only to deal with the bullshit of whether monsters should have equal rights or not.

Or if they were even counted as a person.

No, not you. That’s where your human side came into play. You had the appearance to fit in perfectly and humans couldn’t see souls unless a monster had entered into a confrontation with them (which were banned the second people found out about them). Sans felt his magic boiling in him. You thought you could just waltz into their home and be excluded from the monsterphobia and racism that him and his brother had to deal with. You probably thought you were better than them.

He laughed silently.

Oh how fun tomorrow would be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't be afraid to drop a comment or leave kudos, I appreciate them all!~
> 
> i wonder what he has planned


	7. In Which You're Making Progress

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> -blows off dust from this work-
> 
> Golly..

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's some more progress for the story.  
> I regret to inform you that it is not very long (I guess you can say it is a filler?) but I can assure you that I will now be updating! The next chapter will definitely be 9+ pages as I have this organized now and the plot WILL be moving!
> 
> Yippie!!
> 
> The supporting comments really helped me out. I am so pumped to get this story going thanks to you all. :')

You woke up feeling refreshed and ready to take on the day after getting the best sleep you’ve ever had, even though you fell asleep in your regular clothes. The sunlight felt amazing on your skin as you tried to touch the rays with your fingers, feeling the heat slowly warm them up. Sitting up, you noticed a bag that you swore wasn’t there before. You finally recognized it as your own and sluggishly made your way over to it. Unzipping the flap, you saw all of your clothing from the lab neatly folded inside and silently thanked whoever brought it in. You must have forgotten about it in your terror of moving in with Sans.

You could hear the faint sound of humming coming from the kitchen as you gathers a random outfit and opened the door. Your feet were muffled by the hallway’s carpet but the wood creaked under your feet in the living room, alerting Papyrus of a presence. He turned his head in the direction of the noise and saw you, his smile widening.

“Good morning, ________!”

“Morning, Paps.” You stifled a small yawn and stretched, quickly pulling down your shirt as it rose on your stomach. Papyrus suddenly turned back to his cooking without another word and you shrugged, passing him and down the opposite hall into the bathroom. At first it baffled you as to why they would have a shower, yet they were skeletons, but just concluded that it simply came with the house. However, you had no conclusions as to why they had liquid soap and bath supplies in there as well, but you weren’t complaining.

After washing and doing your hair, you gathered your dirty clothes and placed them in a empty hamper. You weren’t exactly sure if they had a hamper for clean and dirty clothes so you decided to ask. You made your way back into the kitchen and saw Sans at the table, unsurprisingly asleep. Papyrus was still humming and cooking as you stole a peek over his shoulders while on your tippy toes. 

You could see eggs sizzling on the pan, while a plate was stacked full with pancakes on the side of the stove. The smell made you forget what you were about to ask entirely. Your stomach growled and Papyrus swiveled around colliding with you.

“Nyeh, sorry about that! But, um, what were you doing behind me?” Papyrus looked you over, checking for any bruises or injuries.

“Just wanted to see what was cooking,” and with a smirk, added, “good lookin’” 

Papyrus’ face flushed orange and he stared at you weirdly as you laughed and joined Sans at the kitchen table. You were quite proud of yourself and had a triumphant smile on your face. That was until Sans asked you something in a tone you didn’t exactly like. “Uh, what?”

“the rent? you know, the money you pay for living here. where’s it at?” You looked at him, trying to scan his face for a sign that he was pranking you, but he wasn’t. His signature smile was neutral and firm.  
“Sans, you know I don’t have a job and besides I’ve barely been here for a day.” The shorter skeleton clicked his teeth(?) as you looked toward the taller brother for help. But alas, the Great Papyrus would not be saving you as he put more sausages in the pan.

“guess we have to get you a job, huh?”

“A job? Who is getting a job?” Papyrus inquired. Guess you shouldn’t have doubted him.

“Sans says I need to pay rent and he suggested that I get a job. What do you think Paps?” The lanky skeleton turned off the stove and placed the sausages on a plate with the rest. He carried all of the plates expertly, including three empty ones, and sat them on the table with confidence oozing from his aura.

“Personally I think it would be a marvelous idea so that you don’t end up like my lazy brother,” Papyrus glared at the sleeping skeleton, “though I don’t think you need to pay rent.”

You grabbed an empty plate and began loading it up with the provided food and digging in. “Thanks, Paps,” Swallowing a bite of pancake, you nearly had a foodgasm. It was delicious! “Whoa Papyrus, this food is great! You’ve gotta teach me how to cook one day!” 

The lanky skeleton slowly chewed and swallowed his food before speaking up. “Yes, yes I am aware that my cooking is very great. However, please do not talk with your mouth full. You may choke and I, the Great Papyrus, will be very sad.” He resumed eating as a small blush warmed your cheeks.

You coughed and successfully hid the reddening of your face. “So, um anyways. Where do you think I can work at?” You cleared your plate of food and debated on getting seconds.

“Hmm. There is a bakery not too far away that is run by one of my friends. Perhaps we can go check it out after breakfast?” The skeleton’s plate was clear as well. You thought it over and decided this was probably your best bet.

“Alright, sounds good! I just finished eating anyways.” You picked up your empty plate and washed it at the sink. Drying your hands, you were quite surprised to see the entire table cleared off albeit Papyrus and Sans’ plates. You concluded that Papyrus stored the leftovers in the fridge with the obvious use of magic as slight static was still in the air. 

What you weren’t surprised at, however, was that Sans was missing. He must have teleported while you were washing your dishes, but quite frankly you didn’t care. Papyrus walked toward the front door with you in tow.

“Are you ready to go, ________?” Papyrus fixed his red scarf that was resting on his chestpiece and opened the door for you while his keys dangled in his other gloved hand.

“Certainly, my good sir.” You walked through the doorway and toward the passenger side of the convertible. The sun was shining bright in the Sunday morning sky, the seemingly endless blue was spotted with small puffy cumulus clouds. 

The car door was unlocked and you quickly entered the car though you were admittedly anxious. The vehicle pulled out of the driveway and down the road.

\--

“Ahuhu~ See you Monday dearie!”

You got the job. 

You got the job and you were now working for a spider albeit a very beautiful spider with the name of Muffet. It sounded so crazy that you almost started laughing. You remembered her name being mentioned by Dr. Alphys here and there, but never in detail. If someone had told you that this would be your new life on the surface, you…. probably would have believed them.

You were elated and shaking with excitement for your new job in the car. Muffet had given you the uniform for the bakery and you were satisfied with the soft and breathable material. Papyrus’ chuckle snapped your attention toward him. “Hm?”

“Oh nothing. It’s just that your soul is glowing so brightly.” You began wondering what it looked like exactly. Now that you thought about it, you had never seen your soul before. You only heard descriptions from others. 

“Really? What does it look like?” 

Papyrus took another glance before looking at the road. “It’s glowing a pale rose with flecks of white and red shimmering off here and there. It also has turned upside down and resembles a monster soul now. Very interesting but it doesn’t seem to be a problem.” 

You looked at your chest and tried to picture your soul. You could feel the warmth coursing through your body and this happiness being engraved into your head. 

With the rest of the ride being fairly uneventful, you arrived home and sprinted to hang up your new uniform. Muffet had kindly pre-ironed it before giving it to you. You thought over your job and was very surprised that she had hired you although you had no experience outside of the lab. 

Even so, you weren’t complaining. The pay was very good while the hours and days wouldn’t be detrimental to your health. It was almost laughable at the fact that you were only here now because Sans attempted to make you pay rent.

You still wondered if he was joking or not.


	8. In Which More Problems Arise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm not dead!
> 
> Here's the chapter for the week as promised, sorry it's late!

Alphys groggily rolled over to her side, her eyes heavy and slightly stinging. She looked at her partner sleeping soundly albeit forming defensive stances in her unconscious state. This was not the first night Alphys had not slept and certainly wouldn’t be the last until this whole mess was over. The curtains kept the sunlight out so efficiently the reptile had no idea what time it was as the room was close to pitch black. It didn’t matter to her anyways. The doctor was so lost in her thoughts and down in the dumps that she hadn’t left the house.

Had it been a happier situation, she could pride herself on finishing Mew Mew Kissy Cutie four times in the past day and a half. But now, it depressed her further that this is where she ended up. The reptile carefully got out of the bed, clumsily placed on her smudged glasses, and trudged into the kitchen to make some needed coffee. Her eyes didn’t have to adjust to the dimly lit room as she guessed it was evening already. The Keurig coffee maker poured the hot liquidy goodness in her anime themed cup as she added creamer and sugar. 

She glanced at the time seeing her guess was correct as the clock read five something, a smudge blocking the rest of the number. The reptile downed a huge swig of the steaming drink since she had gotten used to Undyne’s sweltering golden tea. Her attention was brought to the home phone situated on the kitchen counter that was flashing frantically. With a huge sigh, Alphys shuffled over and decided to listen to the voicemails. 

Majority of them was about the meeting she was supposed to have about her violations in a week or so. However, she perked up upon hearing Papyrus’ grand voice echoing throughout the house. After adjusting the volume, she skimmed through the two voice messages again. They were just a “report on the human” from the lanky skeleton. Alphys wondered if Papyrus decided to call you that or if you asked him to. In the last recording, she could hear you laughing and making a witty comment, probably to one of Sans’ terrible puns.

Her lips curled up into a quick smile as her soul pulsed with warmth which quickly turned to emptiness. 

She missed you. She missed how she saw your soul brighten when you saw her. She’d never admit that she was flattered at how your soul dimmed in the slightest when she had to leave the lab. The grip on the cup handle tightened as the reptile placed a hand on her forehead. She was so conflicted as to get in contact with you again or to simply let you live your life. It was her fault you were involved in this mess anyways, so maybe you’d be better off without her.

“Babe. What’s wrong?” Alphys turned her to see a sleepy Undyne leaning on the bedroom doorway frame. 

“It’s nothing. You can go back to sleep.” Her tail bounced from side to side. Undyne rolled her eyes and closed the distance between the two.

“Pff. You know I can see and feel your soul, Al. Just tell me.” The taller monster grabbed the reptile’s hand and gave it an encouraging squeeze.

“Should I go see her? Do you… Do you think she’s better off without me?” Alphys hung her head and slouched. This stress and anxiety was eating away what little energy she had. God, she was so tired. 

“You created her. Like hell she’d be better off without you, babe. You’re basically her mother so-,” Undyne stopped abruptly. “NGAHHH IF YOU’RE HER MOM THEN WHAT AM I?!?!?”

The reptile nearly dropped her cup while laughing. 

“Oh my god, babe. You already know what you are,” She wiggled her eyebrows at her girlfriend. “Besides, I already know you want kids.”

“W-What?!? I never said that,” The fish monster blushed. “Hey, quit smiling!” She snatched up the smirking Alphys and gave her a kiss on the cheek as the latter turned various shades of crimson while giggling. 

“So, do you think… I should go see her today?” The reptile was propped up on her girlfriend's back. “Or is it a little too late..?”

“Hm, nah 's not too late. ‘Sides I know Papyrus will be glad to see us and I have to give that other bag of bones a piece of my mind.” She bared her razor sharp teeth at the last part. Alphys remembered how furious Undyne had gotten when she filled in the parts that Asgore purposely left out. 

“Well, guess we can go shower and head over there. Um U-Undyne, why are you heading t-to the bathroom t-too??” 

“It’ll save water if we shower together.” She winked at the blushing reptile. 

\--

“Hey Papyrus, can I help you make dinner?” You watched him take out a two packs of spaghetti noodles and tomatoes. From all of the hospitality you’ve received (from the younger at least), it’d be rude if you didn’t help out with something.

“Certainly, ________! Could you pass me the glitter?” Papyrus emptied out the contents of the two packages into a pot of water.

“Alright!,” You rushed over to the cabinet and while mumbling to yourself. “Glitter, hmm. If I was a pack of glitter where would I- wait..”  
“Are you having trouble finding it? It should be in the top cabinet.”

“Why do you need glitter, Paps?”

“For the spaghetti of course!” The skeleton hummed and cranked the dial for the stove all the way up. 

“Paps, glitter isn’t edible. If I eat glitter, I’ll get sick or worse!” Papyrus looked completely distraught as he stared at you.

“Or worse what?!” 

“Or worse, I’ll die!” You exaggerated in a silly voice, but the lanky monster snatched the glitter from you and politely trashed it.

“That was a close one. Thank for informing the Great Papyrus, it will not happen again!” He grabbed the tomatoes and placed them in a sauce pan. You watched as he stared at the fruit before full on attacking them, bones ablazing.

You were completely dumbfounded as sauce flew in all directions, coating the skeleton and yourself. To make matters worse, you swore you could smell something burning. The spaghetti!

“PAPYRUS, THE SPAGHETTI!!!” You ran rushed to the kitchen sink, grabbed the nearest container, and filled it with water. You were about to throw the water on the flame until Papyrus stood in the way.

“Human, this is the proper way to cook spaghetti. Do not be alarmed.” 

“DON’T BE ALARMED?! THE HOUSE COULD BURN DOWN!” A loud crash came from the front part of this house as the door was kicked down.

“NGAAHHHHHH!” The fish monster stormed into the house.

“what the hell is going on in here?” 

“Undyne y-you can’t just kick down f-front doors!!” 

Undyne stormed into the kitchen and saw the fire in the pot, a devious smile curled onto her lips. Alphys on the other hand took one look at the pot and paled.

“O-Oh my god! SOMEONE D-DO SOMETHING!!” That was admittedly your first time hearing Alphys actually raise her voice.

“How do I do this ‘something’?” 

Undyne cackled madly as you and Alphys simultaneously facepalmed yourself. The pot and kitchen sink engulfed in blue magic as the pot floated underneath the faucet and the water doused it. You were happy this happened while people were present since the fire alarms were obviously not working. With that taken care of, you walked over to greet Alphys.

“Heya Alph! How have you been?,” A shadow loomed over you and you could smell seawater? Or was that seaweed? You turned around slowly, only to look up and see a toned fish monster with aqua scales, vermillion hair, and an eyepatch staring you down. “U-Uh, you’re Undyne, right?”

Undyne flashed a grin and gave you a punch on the arm that was definitely gonna bruise in the morning. “Yup, thats me, punk. My girl wanted to come see you and I wanted to meet you myself. Besides,” She bent down to whisper in your ear and her scales gleamed in the light. “I’m basically your second mom.”

“W-Wha…?!” The fish monster cackled again and wiped a tear from her eye. 

“Just jokin’, nerd. Well, partially anyways. Nice to meet ya, we’ll be seeing each other.” She walked off only to tackle Papyrus from the back and lock him in a headlock. You shuddered at the thought of you receiving one of those from her.

“W-Well I see you’ve meet Undyne finally. I think she likes you.” The reptile spoke up and adjusted her glasses.

“I hope so, since she said she’s pretty much my second mom. She’s really pretty too,” You gently elbowed the doctor. “You sure know how to pick ‘em, huh?”

“Heh, y-yeah. So how are things?”

“Pretty good! I got a job at Muffet’s bakery and Sans is only annoying me sometimes. Especially with those terrible puns of his.”

“hey, that’s not nice. i like to think i’m pretty punny.” The smell of ozone briefly caught in your nose as the skeleton appeared in front of you both. 

“Speak of the devil.” You muttered under your breath and rolled your eyes.

“how’ve ya been, al?” 

“U-Uh, pretty g-good. I l-like hanging o-out w-with Undyne more.”

“We were having a conversation here. You can’t just interrupt, Sans.” You stated pointedly and crossed your arms.

“i heard my name therefore i am invited into it.” Sans quickly stuck out his cyan tongue. Wait a second.. 

What the hell.

“What the fuck? You have a tongue? Can I see it again?” You took a step forward as Sans took a step back.

“hmm, let me think about it,” Sans stroked his mandible before shaking his head. “nah.” There was that shit-eating grin again.

“Why not? Just one more time,” You had no idea why you were so fascinated in his unexpected appendage. Probably because skeletons didn’t have tongues, but then again magic is a strange thing. “Did you just like, form it? I’ve never seen it before.”

“you were mean to me.”

You put your hand on your chest in mock offense. “That’s not true!”

“W-Well, it’s nice to see you t-two getting along.” Alphys chuckled.

“Pfft, as if.” You waved off that thought. Sans was just putting on a nice act because company was here. Suddenly, pounding footsteps made their way into the kitchen.

“Hey, bone boy! Me and you need to have a long talk.” Undyne growled and lunged for the shorter skeleton as he teleported just a couple inches away from her grasp. To add insult to injury, his eye sockets were closed too. Undyne formed a glowing aqua spear in an attempt to catch his jacket which she did successfully, only to be teleported to wherever Sans did.

“I-I hope she doesn’t r-rough him up too bad..” Alphys had small worry creases, but you on the other hand was thinking of every possible way from Undyne to efficiently kick his ass.

“I hope she does. Serves him right,” You dropped the joke since Alphys was visually becoming nervous. “I’m just joking, doc. Happy to see you by the way. Was gonna tell you that before we were quite rudely interrupted.”

The reptile relaxed at the statement. She was still worried you wouldn’t be happy to see her after all that happened. “Happy to you see too, ________. Though I’m surprised you weren’t wondering why I came.”

“Why should I? Although it’s not my place to say, I’m sure you’re welcomed anytime. Um, are you hungry or anything?”

“Nah, I ate before I came here.” Alphys lied. She wasn’t feeling up to eating this morning but she didn’t want you worrying. 

“Oh, ok. On a serious note, what’s going on with this whole experiment situation?” You gestured the doctor to come join you at the kitchen table. 

She placed her cheek in her hand and sighed. It hurt you to see her so defeated. “I have a meeting on next Monday. I'm hoping they will just make me pay a fine but I know that won't happen. I just hope they don't take you away or anything.”

You never thought about that. You were in fact the experiment in question, so what were they going to do with you? A chill raced down your spine as you remembered what Sans said to you in the lab. 

“I'm more worried for you, doc. To be honest, I could be replaced, though not legally of course. You're all I've got. You on the other hand, have made too many friends, brilliant creations, and other things to have that taken away.” Alphys flinched at your bluntness but recovered and slammed a fist on the table.

“D-Don't ever say that! Don't say that, ________! You mean so much to me, god, when you had to come here I missed you so much. I haven't been sleeping or even eating properly because I've been worried sick about what's going to happen to you. You're.. You’re basically my child!,” The doctor sniffled and started again in a choking sob. “Damn it. I-If something happens, I-I swear I-I’ll-”

You rushed to her side and hugged her. At the close proximity you could feel how conflicted and emotional her soul was. Your soul hung heavily in your chest as you comforted her and wiped the tears that escaped your eyes. “I'm so sorry. I didn't know I meant so much to you, Al. But even so, if something were to happen please don't do something stupid.”

“Can we just stop talking about it for now and spend sometime with our friends?” Alphys got up and you followed her into the living room to find Papyrus stuck in a finger trap. The sight was quite amusing because of how concentrated he was was.

“Dr. Alphys, this is a very challenging puzzle. Alas, I will best Undyne by beating it!” 

“Good luck on your quest, Papyrus the Great!” You watched Papyrus pull his fingers and try new angles with the “puzzle” with new bravado. You looked to see Alphys staring at the night sky from the backyard windows. You were about to ask what she was staring at until a blue bone flew across the windows view followed by two spears of the same color.

You flung open the backyard door and raced outside to see a sweaty skeleton and fish monster full on attacking each other. “WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU GUYS DOING? ”

You watched Sans just barely dodge a spear that would have hit him in the arm. “ALPHYS! COME GET YOUR GIRLFRIEND!” You desperately called out.

“Why'd you have to be such an ass to her, Sans?” Undyne growled and launched three spears at the skeleton, the spear’s glow illuminated from the dark.

“just said what needed to be said.” He shrugged and winked, dodging the spears and attacking with bones of his own. It was obvious they were both tired. Might even say bone tired-...

Ugh, you'd never tell Sans you made that pun. 

Without thinking, you ran in the way of the fight at the same moment Undyne gave it all she had and flung twenty spears. Time seemingly slowed to a crawl around you as you could see Alphys screaming something. Undyne appeared to noticed her mistake and you could feel the magic radiating from the spears at how close they were to you. Your body felt like static, as if you had cut off circulation throughout it.

Your vision was snatched away and you felt weightless as your stomach did flips. You've felt this before..

You hit the ground a couple feet from your original postion and looked up to see the spears hit Sans.

“Oh fuck!”

“SANS!”

\--  
You watched Undyne gently place Sans on their bed and Alphys hook up him up to numerous machines. 

“God damn it, Undyne! You've got to control your anger.” She watched the monitors for his magic, soul, breathing and consciousness.

“Shit. I'm so sorry. God, fuck!” Undyne put a hand up on her forehead and paced the room. You could now see the bruises and scratches from the fight on her arms and face.

“How is he?” It was the first time you'd ever seen a skeleton bleed. 

“He's broken so many ribs, his left ulna and radius are cracked in many places. It's not surprising he's unconscious. But he should make it since only six of the twenty spears hit him. Thank god.”

You would have to call Papyrus after you made sure everything would be ok. You felt so bad that you lied and told him you had to take some medicine from Alphys that was specifically at her house.

“We’ll check on him hourly throughout the night, _________. You need to get home before Papyrus starts worrying. I'll call you.”

“Alright..,” You looked at Sans and could hear him wheezing and struggling to breathe. You felt terrible. “Get some sleep Alph. You too, Undyne. Call me if anything happens.”

You grabbed Papyrus’ keys and left the couple’s house. Using the GPS Alphys gave you, you took the longest way possible to get back home to clear your thoughts. As much as you didn't like Sans, you'd never wish that on him.

You arrived home to find the finger trap on the floor in front of where Papyrus was initially sitting. It surprisingly quiet in the house until you heard him. 

Sobbing.

You walked into his room and found him laying on his bed, crying luminescent orange tears. You cautiously approached him and kneeled next to his race car bed.

“Papyrus, what's wrong?” The skeleton looked up at you and wiped some tears.

“_________, where is my brother?” Guilt coursed through your soul.

“He’s- He’s having a sleepover with Undyne and Alphys.”

“_________, why is his soul so weak?”

“I-I.. Paps-”

“Why does everyone keep lying to me!?” Papyrus looked at you with such a heartbreaking expression. 

“He’s hurt, Papyrus. Undyne and Sans had a fight and he got hurt instead of me. He- He teleported me out of the way and took the hit,” You hung your head. “It's all my fault. Again.”

“And he's at Alphys’ home recovering?”

“Yes. She said she would call me and tell me how he's doing and if anything happens. But she said he would be alright.” You bit your lip and watched Papyrus’ conflicted expression.

“Will you promise me you'll visit to check on him?” The lanky skeleton sniffled and wiped the remaining tears from his eyes. 

“Yes. I promise, Paps. Just please get some sleep, it's around midnight.”

“Alright. Thank you, ________,” He snuggled under the covers and smiled. “It wasn't your fault and I won't let anyone put you under any blame. Rest up too.”

“I will, thank you Papyrus. Good night..” You turned out the bedroom lights and left his room, closing the door behind you. After getting the house phone and placing it in your room, you got in the bed and drifted off while thinking about the terrible job you did in duct taping the front door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh no..
> 
> and poor papyrus


	9. In Which You Visit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ayyyy, here's the chapter for the week! Enjoy!!

You awoke to a few voice messages from Alphys stating that Sans was recovering and was maintaining a consistent breathing pattern and soul health but was still unconscious. You erased the messages and decided to take a breather outside. The morning air was always fresher to you and the slight chill in breeze helped you wake up. The sun was to your right and wasn't blinding you as usual. You inhaled and exhaled deeply, going over the events so far in your head. It didn't help that you could still see some dried blood on the grass. 

 

If Sans hadn't moved you out of the way, you wouldn't even be here soaking in the morning sun. You shuddered and decided to go inside, locking the backyard door behind you. You saw Papyrus cooking the kitchen, though he wasn't humming as usual or even smiling. Everything just felt off. 

 

"Hey, Papyrus." You walked into the kitchen and decided to try small talk. His reply was just a small grunt as he flipped the last pancake and placed it on a plate with the rest. You sat down at the table as he placed the food down in front of you and got back up. He dug in the cabinet and eventually pulled out a box of dinosaur oatmeal.

 

"You're not eating any pancakes?" You inquired as his odd behaviour was worrying you tremendously. 

 

"No, I'll just eat my oatmeal. It sticks to my ribs." His voice was dull and monotone, and his child-like aura was nowhere to be found. You noticed him wince at the second statement, probably having remind him of his brother's terrible puns. 

 

With a shy nod, you took a bite of a pancake. The food hadn't lost its flavor, however, you'd take bland food and a happy Papyrus anyday. "You're gonna have to cook these for me everyday, Paps! They're so good."

 

"They really aren't that good. Anyone could make pancakes like me, honestly." Papyrus took the oatmeal out of the microwave after putting in his desired amount of milk. With a couple stirs, he ate the hot cereal in complete silence.

 

You awkwardly adjusted in your seat. You hated the atmosphere now; it reminded you of the lab after packing away all the equipment. 

 

"I'll go visit him." Papyrus seemed to perk up at this, even glancing in your direction for a second. After a couple beats of silence and you nervously fidgeting with the silverware, Papyrus took a seat next to you.

 

"Would you, please? Today...?" His desperate tone practically shattered your heart. You weren't going to say no to begin with, but even thinking about it felt like a sin against God.

 

"I will. Just promise me something, Paps."  
"Anything. Anything, what is it?" 

 

"Please be happy from here on out. I can't stand to see this side of you, it's not the Papyrus I know..." You pleaded as Papyrus slumped onto your side.

 

"It's so hard.. I wasn't there to protect him. If I would have been more vigilant, then no one would have gotten hurt." He mumbled and slumped more weight onto your side. His eye sockets closed with a small tap and on closer inspection you could see dark rings around them. They were nothing compared to Sans' but it still troubled you.

 

"It's ok. Like you said, even The Great Papyrus makes mistakes." You offered with a sheepish smile.

 

"A mistake like this should not be forgiven so easily. Why aren't you mad at me, _________? Why aren't you disappointed?" He looked up at, orange tears leaving faint streaks down his ivory colored face.

 

"Papyrus! I could never be disappointed in you. It wasn't your fault, it wasn't anyone's fault! Don't put all the blame on you," You wiped his tears. "Now, please promise me. I'll make sure your brother is alright and he'll be back here telling his terrible puns in no time!" 

 

The skeleton gave a slight smile in return. "Those puns were quite terrible but I admittedly miss them. Don't tell Sans that though." 

 

"Then, I should get going. I expect to see the happy Papyrus by the time I get back." You scolded playfully.

 

"Aye aye, capt'n." The lanky skeleton saluted with a goofy smile.

 

You washed and dressed quickly after helping the lanky skeleton wash and put up the dishes. You quickly rang up Muffet and explained the situation while apologizing profusely; since Sans was her friend, she told you to call her about how he was doing and that Monday's weren't that busy anyways. With a wave to Papyrus, you drove off in the red convertible to Alphys' house. You knocked on the door and was greeted by Undyne. You noted the similarities in the atmosphere here and at home.

 

"Alph said he should be waking up soon, though I didn't expect you to be the one to visit him. You showed up at a great time 'cause we have to get more medicine for his broken bones." She walked and led you past the kitchen and stopped at the kitchen. 

 

You saw Alphys looking even more stressed and drained than before, gathering a couple empty medicine bags and pill bottles. She gave a short wave before packing all the pills in a white paper bag and grabbing her cell phone. 

 

"We'll be back in a couple hours or so. Call us if anything happens, please.." Undyne grabbed her black biker jacket and walked out with her hand stuffed in her jean pocket with her girlfriend in tow.

 

The house was eerily silent albeit the few beeps here and there from the machines that Sans' soul was hooked up to. You inhaled deeply and made your way into the bedroom, leaving the door open behind you. Sans was laying on his right side while clutching his ribs with his left hand. His breathing was consistent but was still irregular and his wheezing was mostly gone. 

 

Since he was shirtless, you could see the bruising on his ribs and and cracks in his left ulna and radius being sealed together by some weird brown ointment. You took a seat on the left side of the bed and held his jacket (that was washed) which was previously occupying it. You kept a close eye on the monitors and thanked the couple months of soul work and monitoring you did at the lab. His vitals seemed to be decent for the condition he was in and before you knew it, the slow, rhythmic beeping of the machine lulled you to sleep.

 

\--

 

Rapid beeping threw you into a state of panic as you threw off everything and stood up to see the problem. You saw a wide eye Sans who was more or less freaking out and didn't even register your presence. He was pulling at the machines and mumbling incoherent words.  

 

"Sans! Sans, calm down! You're at Alphys' and Undyne's. How are you feeling?" His skull snapped in your direction and he appeared to relax at the slightest along with the monitors. 

 

"i-i'm at al's place? how..," He touched his face as if he was unsure of everything at the moment. You couldn't blame him to be honest. He attempted to sit up too quickly and hissed in pain. He looked at his ribs and left arm and you could practically see the events flood back into his skull.   
"the fight.. is.. wait, are you ok?"

 

You were stunned at the question. Did Sans the skeleton just ask you how you were doing? You cursed yourself mentally for holding hostile thoughts for someone who saved your life. "I'm fine. I should be asking you that question though." You picked up Sans' shirt off the floor and gave it to him and he carefully put it on despite the wires that were attached to his soul. It was admittedly a little weird to see him without his shirt.

 

"i wouldn't say i'm ok. but i'm not dead so that's good. well fully anyways." You rolled your eyes but you couldn't fight off a grin. Of course he would be making light of a situation like so, but you kind of needed it.

 

"Wow, I promised Papyrus to come visit you and all you do is tell lame jokes. I should just leave right now." You joked and stood up to walk out the door, only to be stopped as said door, covered in a weak aqua glow, slowly closed in your face. You humored the skeleton by allowing it to close fully without stopping it.

 

"nooooo, don't goooo. i'll be bonelyyy." You smirked and turned around, taking your seat once again.

 

"Fine, fine. But only because it was funny to hear you whine and I won't even comment on that weak pun." You quipped but looked back to see Sans was wearing that shit eating grin.

 

"speaking of paps. does he know about all this..?" The skeleton was on his back with his pinpricks missing and his right phalanges ghosting his injuries. 

 

"Yeah.. He got so emotional about where you were and he knew that your soul was weaker than normal. So, I told him," You glanced at Sans, hoping he wouldn't be mad at you. "He misses you a lot. He's blaming himself for all of this.."

 

You received a small grunt as a reply; the similarities in the skeletal duo could not be anymore obvious. "Would you like to speak to him?" 

 

Sans perked up greatly at this and his pinpricks returned in record time. You took that as a good enough answer and dialed the house number. After a few rings, the lanky skeleton picked up.

 

"Hello, ________!"

 

"I've got someone who wants to talk to you~," You cooed. There was a sharp intake of air before you were bombarded by questions from the opposite in end. "Heh, I'll let him answer those questions himself."

 

You barely got the sentence out before the phone was in Sans' hands. You could hear Papyrus' excited blur of words from your spot in the room and you had a huge dorky smile plastered on your face. Although you could only hear one end of the conversation, you heard Sans' constantly answer with 'i'm fine, paps'.  

 

Sans finally hung up after a quick 'love you too, papy.' You didn't know how much time passed exactly but once you got your once fully charged phone back at five percent, you could make a pretty accurate guess. The short skeleton was visibly relaxed after the lengthy call and before you knew it, was sleeping once again. After looking over his vitals again, you concluded he was recovering very well (probably from all the sleeping he was doing) and would be back home soon, hopefully with new material for his jokes.

 

The opening of the front door alerted you Alphys' and Undyne's arrival. They quickly made their way into the bedroom and questioned you on anything that happened. You told them that Sans had woken up for about an hour and he talked to Papyrus.   
"He's probably tired since he started freaking out as soon as he woke up." You glanced at the sleeping skeleton and then back at the couple.

 

"Well, since you said he woke up, he should be able to eat monster food and should be back home by tomorrow morning or so." Alphys set the medicine bag on the seat next to their bed and took out something wrapped in aluminum foil; the aroma was mouthwatering and filled the entire room with subtle hints of caramel and spice.

 

"Brought something that should heal him right up, and the best news is that it's homemade." Undyne grinned and took the item and placed it on the nightstand to the right of the bedroom.

 

"What is it?" The scent was driving you crazy and you were about to steal the item and take off. 

 

"Its butterscotch and cinnamon pie! Had one made just for Sans by Toriel." Ohh, now you remember. Alphys had told you about Toriel's famous pies and you've been dying to try some. Maybe you could?

 

"Wow, really?! I've heard that they are really good, too bad I've never had any. Not even a crumb." You put on a sad look and looked in between the couple with puppy dog eyes. 

 

"Are you serious? Babe, you've never let _________ taste one of Tori's pies?" Alphys shook her head as Undyne opened the foil gently and brought it to you. You excitedly broke off a big enough piece to taste and popped it in your mouth. 

 

The taste was way better than the smell as the cinnamon and butterscotch flavors burst in your mouth. It was almost as if Toriel had baked autumn right in the dessert. The middle was creamy and warm while the crust was buttery and flaky. Unfortunately after a minute, you were just overly chewing the mush around in your mouth trying to get the flavor again. But alas, you had to swallow and that was that. 

 

However, your soul felt warm and protected while your mood was greatly improved, you even had small smile on your face. The couple watched your reactions with mirth and you gave them a big thumbs up. "I've gotta meet this Toriel person. That pie was amazing!" 

 

You were bouncing around with newfound energy and euphoria. It was such a strange feeling to go from such low spirits to brimming cheerfulness but you weren't complaining.

 

"You'll meet her pretty soon hopefully. Anyways, I think you should be getting home. Try not hug random strangers." Alphys joked.

 

"Alright, call me if anything happens and all that. See you two lovers later!" You waved and grabbed the keys and checked for your phone in your pocket. You pulled out of the driveway and made it home (without hugging any strangers) as the sun was just beginning to set. Papyrus greeted you at the front door as his normal happy self. This made you even more happy and it was now reaching record levels.

 

This led to you and the lanky skeleton having an epic pillow fight in the living room as you both boasted pillow armor. You went to battle wielding a living room cushion as Papyrus had a Mettaton themed pillow. Papyrus proved to be a very determined warrior but you were cunning and grabbed his legs. The skeleton went down very dramatically and you took this opportunity to force him to surrender with a couple of smacks from your pillow.

 

"Admit defeat Papyrus the Great! You have fought long and hard but surely I am the better warrior!" You laughed triumphantly until Papyrus grabbed your 'weapon' and quickly unarmed you.

 

The skeleton rose to his feet and looked down on you. "Nyeh heh heh! I have won the battle! But do not be disheartened, ________, you put on a great fight." He didn't even seem the least bit tired contrary to you who was still attempting to catch your breath.

 

You laughed and held up an imaginary white flag signalling your defeat. "Oh, Papyrus the Great, I am honored to have fought against you."

 

The skeleton struck an heroic pose and even his cape waved behind him. Was there a draft or something? "Nyeh, now you can tell everyone of our great pillow battle. Speaking of which, are you hungry?"

 

You nodded and followed the skeleton into the kitchen. This time, you offered to help Papyrus make spaghetti correctly and he was thoroughly impressed with how savory it turned out. After wrapping up the leftovers and cleaning the dishes, you decided to watch TV as Papyrus played with some action figures while laying on the living room floor.

 

Your cellphone buzzed in your pocket and you answered without looking at the Caller ID; not a lot of people had your number anyways. On the other side you could hear Undyne groaning and telling Alphys to 'hurry up and call her'. "Um, hello?"

 

"Oh thank god you answered. Sans is fine, he ate the pie and he's back to normal," There was mumbling and then Alphys and Undyne groaned simultaneously. "He's telling terrible puns and I'm just calling to let you know he should be home in less than a minute."

 

"Ok so right-." The call ended right as the skeleton appeared right in front of the TV effectively scaring you and Papyrus as you two screamed the lanky skeleton jumped into your lap. 

 

"S-Sans! You can't just teleport in here like that, you scared us!" Papyrus scolded and got up. He wasn't as uncomfortable as you thought bones would be to your surprise.  
"thought alph told ya i was on the-" He was cut off as Papyrus picked him up and hugged him. It was amusing watching his slippered feet dangle from the huge height difference. "heh, thanks pap. missed you too." Papyrus placed Sans down and resumed playing with his action figures. The shorter immediately teleported onto the couch, laying his legs across your lap.

 

"Pfft, I come visit you and this is the thanks I get?" You pushed his legs off and feigned offense by placing a hand on your chest.

 

"it's not like you came to visit me on your own. you only came because you promised paps you would." The skeleton whined and pouted. Papyrus was still making fake battle noises and explosions.

 

"Oh my god, Sans. You act like a child sometimes." You grinned and Sans smirked.

 

"i'm a child at heart."

 

"What heart?" You quipped.

 

"well i did save your life." He blurted out.

 

"..You're right. Sorry.."

 

"wait, i didn't mean to say that. i don't hold you at fault for that, y'know." You looked at him and he looked genuinely concerned.

 

"But you're right, and I do owe you," You saw he was surprised at your response but then smirked. "Nothing unreasonable though!"

 

"alright, alright. you can make it up by coming to grillby's with me?," You furrowed your eyebrows in confusion. "notlikeadateoranything, just that i know you've never been."

 

"Hm, alright. Sounds cool," You smirked. "Butnotlikeadateoranything!" You mimicked Sans in a high-pitched voice and laughed, soon joined by Sans.

 

"this is completely out of the blue,but after you left and i went to sleep, i didn't dream but i was thinking?,"

 

"About what?"

 

"well, i've been thinking about this entire situation with you and al and i've realized something."

 

"You mean you finally realized that you were being a complete jerk to us?" You pouted and crossed your arms dramatically.

"well, maybe," You scowled at him. "fine, fine. yes. andi'msorry."

 

"Did Sans the skeleton just apologize to me? It's the end of the world. Oh nooooo." You laughed.

 

"oh my god, just accept my apology." He whined like a little child in a high pitched voice and you laughed harder.

 

"Fine! I accept your half-assed apology." 

 

"hey!"

 

"Just joking, bone boy." 

 

"is that my nickname for you now?"

 

"Yup."

 

"hmmm. i'll take it," He rubbed his mandible in a thoughtful manner. "guess i'll have to give you a nickname too."

 

"Seriously?" You chuckled.

 

"very much so." He stood up and picked up Papyrus, who apparently fell asleep during your conversation, with magic.

 

"Just don't call me it in public. And aw, look at him. He's even smiling in his sleep."

 

Sans grinned and carried his younger sibling to his room and tucked him in, giving him a kiss on his forehead and returned in the living room.

 

"well guess we should go to bed too." 

 

"Yeah. It is getting pretty late," You turned off the TV and the kitchen and living room lights. You changed into your pajamas in your room and then cracked the door open. "Good night, bone boy." You whispered.

 

"g'night, _______."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hm, guess you two made up. 
> 
> that's good!


	10. In Which Humans Are Assholes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's not dead!

You placed a hand on your hips and twirled the broom in your other, inspecting your work so far. After that nightmare which goes by the name of rush hour, you took your time to enjoy the quiet atmosphere albeit the last group who were still finishing up. You started sweeping up around the remaining tables near their area, unintentionally hearing their full conversation.

"This doughnut is hella good, seems those monsters are actually good something, huh?" One of the two guys asked, both of them looking around the age of 20 or so. The girl leaning against him, most likely his girlfriend, playfully slapped his shoulder and giggled.

"Shut up, Brad. Those creatures have to make a living somehow," She paused and glanced towards the register that Muffet was cleaning, "Especially that fucked up insect at the counter."

"She looks pretty hot though." The second guy cooed, taking another bite of his chocolate croissant.  "Wonder how much she charges an hour." 

"If you're gonna talk shit, why bother coming here?" You spat, completely disgusted with their words, but continued sweeping.

"'Cause if these atrocities are gonna live in our city, they'd better be good for something." His girlfriend kissed him on the cheek and shot you a stink eye.

"If anything's atrocious, it's what just kissed you on the cheek." You quipped and stared her down. She gasped and rolled her eyes, though she looked uncomfortable under your unbreaking gaze.

"Jack, say something." She crossed her arms and waited.

"It's alright, babe. We're done anyways." He stood up to let her out of the booth, as the adjacent couple did followed suit. Jack lingered behind, waiting for his girlfriend to move out of the way before sliding the trash from the table onto the floor. "You missed a spot." He sneered before letting out a hysterical laugh. 

"I'll bet she's fucking one of them. My money's on the spider." Brad laughed. They passed you by, with the girls slamming into you and whispering 'whore' and 'monster fucker', and out of the door. You were practically shaking with pent up anger and rage, knuckles turning white as a result of your grip on the broom handle, and eyes blurry with tears of pure hatred. Had this job not been given to you by Papyrus' help, you would have gladly attempted to beat them to a pulp with your broom, regardless of being outnumbered. 

You bitterly sweep up all of the trash and clean up the table and floor. Pulling out your phone, you check the time seeing at it was nearing the end of your shift. You put the broom and mop in the utility closet and clock out, waving to Muffet and telling her good night. You grabbed Papyrus' keys, remembering to thank him for letting you borrow his car for your job. In return, you dropped and picked up from Undyne's house and kept his gas tank full as much as possible (after googling how to). 

You pulled out of the bakery's parking lot, barely avoiding a black sedan that was idiotically stalled less than 2 feet behind you. On your way to Undyne's, what looked like the same sedan, was riding your back bumper. The windows were tinted, dismissing any opportunity to reveal the driver and/or passengers. 

When you took a left, the car followed. Switched lanes, the vehicle in question followed suit. You were beginning to get creeped out as you thought about that group at the bakery. As if giving acknowledging your thoughts, the car tipped your bumper enough to startle you. You swerved into the left lane before quickly grabbing hold of the wheel.

"What the fuck?" You mumbled and rolled down your window to properly flip them off.

There was no way in hell you'd just lead them straight to your friends. You adjusted your rear view mirror and switched lanes between the other cars. You trapped yourself behind a 18-wheeler and a city car while the sedan followed on your left. 

You took a quick right, having found an alternate route to her house after that incident with Sans, effectively ending the 'chase'. You laughed triumphantly and gave yourself a pat on the back for your quick thinking. You pulled into the fish monster's driveway and honked the horn, Papyrus jogging out with Alphys and Undyne in tow. The skeletal monster hopped through the open window on the passenger's side and you've stopped questioning things. With a quick wave to the couple, you made your way home.

Papyrus was rehashing each and every detail of his training. You admittedly were zoning in and out of his elated blur of words. You were just deep in thought, thanking the deities for your quick thinking. What if you didn't notice the car and just led those assholes to your friends? You shuddered at the thought. "So what do you think, _______?"

Shit. You weren't paying attention at all. "Uh, yeah Paps. I agree?" You gave a sheepish shrug as the skeleton shook his head in complete disbelief.

"So you agree with Undyne that suplexing the sofa is an acceptable way to arrange furniture? Ludicrous. Complete and utter tomfoolery." He began to go on a rant about how furniture has feelings and it's parents would not like their child to be suplexed. You completely stopped listening at this point.

You arrived home and Papyrus did his usual leap up the stairs and into the house. He was already prepping the kitchen for dinner when you heard the front door open and then close, the smell of ozone wafting in room. "'sup"

"Hello, Sans!" Papyrus put down the pan to hug his brother then resumed turning on the stove to low heat. 

"Hey, Sans." You gave a small wave, still unsure of you guys' friendship(?) as of now. "How was work?"

Sans walked toward the couch and plopped on it, sighing heavily and closing his eye sockets. "pretty good i guess. it was work. what about you?"

"It was fine. I like working at the bakery, the atmosphere is friendly when there aren't any ass- er, when there aren't a lot of people" Sans opened an eye socket at your cutoff statement, his pinprick nearly burning a hole through you. There was a couple beats of silence before he chuckled.

"trust me, i've dealt with my fair share of close minded fucks."

"I-, uh, how'd you guess?" You could feel your palms getting sweaty. You really didn't want the brothers to deal with anymore than they have to.

"you're like an open book. or maybe im just good at reading people." 

"Pfft. Whatever, lucky guess. Scoot over, bone boy." You sat next to him and flicked through the TV. "Papyrus, no fire." You shouted; it had gotten too quiet over in the kitchen.

Papyrus froze up and immediately removed his hand from the dial. "Nyeh, fine. Dinner's ready anyways."

The rest of the night was uneventful as everyone went to sleep, with you going in for the night a little earlier. You really just wanted those racists and that sedan to stop replaying in head. As 2:00 A.M hit, you were still up tossing and turning. Grumbling curses, you got out of bed to get some water, closing your room door behind you.

As you passed Sans' door, you saw it was slightly cracked. Had you not have heard him sneaking out one time, you'd be freaking out. You found out he had a late night job as a security officer but swore not to tell Papyrus. 

Your respect for Sans greatly increased after that. You stumbled into the kitchen, clumsily grabbing a clean cup and filling it with water. You were halfway through when you heard a knock on the door. You place your cup down and stare at the front door, hoping whoever it is realizes it's fucking two in the morning. 

The knocking resumes, more forcibly this time. You call out for them to identify themselves. No response but now the person is banging on the door. You can feel yourself getting furious, doesn't this asshole get that people are probably sleeping? You sit there in silence and the last rap of knocking tips you over the edge. You unlock the door and throw it open.

"Just what the fu- mmph!" Someone roughly grabs you by the arms and the second person covers you mouth from behind. You clamp down on their gloved hand with as much force as you can withstand. They let go screaming curses. "PAPYRUS HELP ME!" 

You desperately flail and punch and kick in their tight grasp as they carry you away from the front door. Someone punches you hard in the nose and you let out choked sobs of agony as they purposely drop you on the rough pavement outside; you landed on your hands and leg. You can hear them laughing at you as you hold your swollen nose and attempt to get up. 

You tried to get a good look at them as your eyes fill with pained tears but you're pushed back down and have been reduced to crawling, clumsily trying to reach the house through your blurred vision. You can feel the warm blood dripping down your face, the copper taste gags you and the warm liquid hits your other hand and the grass beneath you. You plead and beg for someone to help you, for them to stop. You put as much energy as you can into screaming again. 

"PAPYRUS PLEASE!"

Beats of silence pass as the attackers anticipate for someone to rush out of the house, you taking the opportunity to limp toward the pavement in front of the stair before the adrenaline starts leaving your body. You can feel your nose and limbs throbbing at full force, your body on the brink of giving out. You fall forward as your head is pounding, your body is on fire, and your nose is still dribbling with blood onto the cold concrete. You're slurring incoherent words of please don't hurt Papyrus and please just leave us alone.

A figure looms over you while you're attempting to crawl away and a cloth is shoved under your nose. The smell clogs your injured nostrils, burning them and the back of your mouth until you feel fuzzy and lightheaded. You're seeing double but you know you're too weak to fight. One of your attackers lifts with you ease and slugs you over their shoulders. Then the world fades away into a black void. 

-

The reptilian wakes up in a cold sweat, her Mew Mew Kissy Cutie themed pajamas soaked almost right through. Alphys throws off the covers from her side and sits on the edge of the bed, resting her palm in her forehead. She certainly wasn't catching a cold or anything as it was impossible for monsters to do that. Looking at the time, she lets out a sigh as she lays back down cuddling back into her girlfriend. 

-

"Breakfast!" The voice rings throughout the house with little ease. Sans lifts a head up sleepily debating whether to get up or not. Deciding to skip out on a lecture for today, he slides out of the bed and slips on his slippers. He teleports at the kitchen table and decides to take a nap while waiting for you. Papyrus was all about bonding and waiting for everyone to be present at the table to eat. Whatever allowed the short skeleton a small cat nap.

Sans woke up suspiciously as he hadn't be woken up by Papyrus or you. He's positive it's been more than ten minutes and yet you still hadn't shown up.  
"i'll go get her." He offered and shuffled toward your room door.

He tapped on the door, putting what would be his ear to the door. "hey, ________, time for breakfast, bud."

No response or sound of movement within the room. He tried knocking a little louder, his knuckles making a hollow sound against the wooden door. Still no response. "im coming in." He warned and counted to five before opening the door. He cautiously peeked his head in with eye sockets closed just in case. TThere was no sign of you, though you had obviously been in your bed. 

He felt the covers and pillows and noted how cold they were. You must have left hours ago. "maybe to muffet's?" he offered aloud to himself. He walked out of your room and into the kitchen. "no sign of her in there. maybe she went to work early."

"Well if that would explain why the front door was left open. Though I wish she'd be more careful." Papyrus tsked and served a plate of blueberry pancakes. He wrapped up three of the for you and reheated himself a plate of spaghetti.

Sans chuckled. "must be trying to get more hours. that is some serious dedication." 

"Yes, Sans. Something that you lack." Papyrus quipped with a smug look. Sans feigned offense and was about to make a pun until the phone rang. The caller ID read 'Alphys'. Sans brought then phone to him and answered it. 

"hello?" 

"T-The hearing's been cancelled! I got a c-call from the board of Monster Affairs saying that a solution has been made. The best part is that I can get back my lab as long as I agree to weekly lab checks instead of monthly!" The other end finally stopped talking and was gasping for air.

"whoa there bucko, remember to breathe." Sans chuckled. 

Alphys gave a shy laugh. "Would you mind telling _______ the good news? I've got to go get my equipment and e-everything."

"sure thing, al. glad ya got the lab back. talk to ya later."

"Bye, Sans!" The doctor hung up allowing Sans to phone Muffet's.

"Muffet's bakery! This is Muffet speaking, ahuhu~" The spider cooed into the phone, voice as sweet as the pastries she baked.

"hey muffet. just need to tell _______ something regarding alphys lab."

"But, dearie. ________'s not supposed to be in for another 2 hours." 

Sans' pinpricks disappeared. "well thanks anyways, see ya." He was hoping it was gone.

"Ahuhu~ Bye!"

Sans got up from the table as Papyrus raised an eyebrow (a bonebrow?) at him. He went into your room and looked through the closet.

And just as he feared, your uniform was still neatly tucked in.


	11. In Which We're Home

Sans joined the table again at his original spot, looking at his brother finishing up breakfast. Papyrus looks at him questioningly, his expression wondering if he knew where you were. "muffet says she went to work early so we've got nothin' to worry about." He lied to ease the youngers nerves. 

At that, Papyrus nods and smiles, turning off the stove. The younger wraps up and prepped plate of breakfast for what Sans assumed was for you, and placed it in the fridge. 

He then prepared two plates for the two of them to eat. Sans picks at his food. Although he's starving (hey, skeletons gotta eat too y'know), the throbbing pain in his soul was preventing him from doing so. 

He felt it while he was working at his late night job but the dull pain seemed to have gotten worse. It felt as if his ribcage was too tight for his soul to beat properly. 

Before you came to live with them, just the two of them at table would have felt normal. But with your missing presence in the room, it felt unnerving. 

"You're awfully quiet, Sans." The younger raised a bonebrow at him while eating. "Is something the matter?" 

"nah. just didn't sleep very well 's all." He finishes his plate and stands up. "thanks for the food, paps. it was delicious as usual." 

"You are very welcome brother. However, are you heading to work today? You seem off." Papyrus inquired as he gathered the plates for washing. 

"probably not. i haven't taken many days off so i'll just take today." 

"Very well, brother. But do try to be productive, I don't need you getting lazy enough to call off everyday at work."

"agreed." Sans nods but not for the same reason. Truthfully, he just wanted some time to figure out what the hell happened to you. He didn't know much about you, but you didn't seem like the type to just up and leave. Especially since you had no other place to live. 

He walks toward his room to take a brainstorming nap but catches sight of the terribly duct taped door. He decides to take up Papyrus' offer of being productive by getting a new door.

He uses magic to grab his phone from his room and floats it over to him while nearing the door. He rubs at the area where his soul is throbbing absentmindedly while checking out the measurements for it.

On closer inspection, he notices the handle is misaligned and mostly likely broken as well. He twists it and further confirms his assumption. After taking a couple pictures with his phones to hopefully get the same handle, he writes down some estimated measurements on his phone.  
He gently opens the front door and steps out. "paps, im heading out. gonna get another door and handle."

"Thank you, Sans! That would be greatly appreciated. Please do return home safely, brother." Papyrus was in the living room, his "eyes" glued to the TV screen. After hearing Mettaton's dramatic gasp and shriek, Sans rolled his eyes. He was probably watching some lame drama on Mettaton Movie Network. 

He closed the door behind him and wondered if he should teleport or not. The home improvement shop was only about a half mile away from the neighborhood. The short skeleton kicked off some of the door debris from the bottom steps and onto the pavement. But if he remembered clearly, Undyne had kicked the door in. Not out. How did bits of the door land on the stairs?

He looked around and the pieces of wood seemed to be scattered way too far for it to somehow land behind where Undyne was. Everything about this entire situation seemed off to him, and he really hoped it wasn't what he was thinking. He looked up from the first steps on onto the walkway. There were more pieces from the door.. 

and..

Oh god.

Was that blood...?

 

His soul was throbbing and the dull pain caused a hollow ache that spread throughout his bones. Sans quickly pulled out his phone, clutching his chest, and dialed a number with newfound urgency. The new door was going to have to wait.

-

You were slowly gaining consciousness, but your sense of hearing and sight were useless with the burlap sack over your head. You moved your limbs to find them tightly secured, and your mouth was covered by a cloth. From the bumping and swaying, you could tell you were in a vehicle of sorts. There was muffled whispering but you couldn't make out what they were saying due to the floating feeling in your head.

You were so scared and confused. What have you done besides stand up for your friends? Why did you deserve this? 

You tried moving but your bruises were rubbing against the rope that held them. In all honesty, you worried sick about Papyrus. Sure they attacked you, but had they done it to get to him? And did Sans know?

Despite the burning pain and dizziness, you attempted to get into a crawling position. Your head felt ten times heavier and you were breathing hard. The cloth and sack over your head only allowed just enough oxygen to prevent you from passing out. The whispers came from directly ahead of you, and the car swerved quickly to the left before stopping; you hitting the corresponding side of the vehicle rather hard. 

The door on your side was opened and you were roughly grabbed and thrown over someone's shoulder once again, the familiarity of the position brought a sickening feeling in your stomach. Judging from the physique, it was most definitely a very muscular person. You thought about attempting to wiggle out of their grasp but with your restrains and hindered vision, you wouldn't get very far at all. You couldn't even tell what time of day it was.

Instead of doing that, you decided on just listening to find out where you were. You could hear leaves and sticks crunching from the heavy footsteps. There also seemed to be two other people, their footsteps much lighter but mimicking the former. It was obvious that you were outside, but in a forest? Wherever you were, it was heavily populated by trees; you drawing your conclusion from the abundance of leaves brushing against your exposed legs every couple of steps.

Finally, your captor came to a stop, along with their lackeys. A password of sorts was pushed into what you would assume was a door, that opened with a rather loud hiss that startled you. Apparently you jolted noticeably enough for the bunch to start chuckling.

"Good, you're awake." The one carrying you spoke. His voice was deep, smooth, and unnervingly calming; you visualized someone with a lot of tattoos. "The boss will be pleased to see you-" He stopped himself, as if he were about to slip out confidential information. You just lied there, unmoving and paralyzed with fear.

What were they going to do with you? And who was the boss? You used your tongue and teeth to attempt to move the cloth over your mouth. You fumbled with it but eventually you moved it just enough for you to open your mouth to speak.

"..w-wh.. where am I..?" Your voice cracked in multiple places, voice hoarse from screaming your lungs out prior to how.

"Home, sweetheart. You're home."


	12. The One Who Speaks In Hands

“How the fuck did you lose her?” The angry voice bellowed after hearing the reason of being called over with such urgency. Undyne paced the front lawn uneasy, hoping to all the deities that you were alright. She tried to piece together any reasons of your sudden disappearance as Greater and Lesser Dog sniffed the area for clues. It had been a while since they had been called in for such a serious task that the former Royal Guard leader wondered if they could pick up the scent just as well.

“i dunno. paps just told me the front door was open, an’ she wasn't in her room. i swear i don't know anything else.” Sans absentmindedly watched the dogs.

“Does Papyrus know about this?” Sans quickly shook his head in the negative. He had sent Papyrus away to Mettaton’s place, much to his dismay. “Good, Alph doesn't either. And ‘s gonna stay that way.” Undyne kept looking at the blood that was splattered on the pavement and shivered.

She really hoped you were fine and that they could put this scare behind them. She was thrown out of her thoughts when one of the dogs began barking frantically.

Sans and Undyne both rushed over to examine what Lesser Dog had found. LD began staggering and immediately backed away from whatever they were barking about. Greater Dog, clad in a blue collar in favor of their usual armor, changed direction and went to aid LD. Undyne looked at the ripped piece of cloth that was a couple inches from the storm drain.

“somethin’ must be on that cloth if LD’s actin’ like that.” Undyne nodded, but looked conflicted and distracted.

“Yeah, someone must’ve tried gettin’ rid by throwing it in the storm drain. But my real question is how are we going to test for whatever might be on that thing?”

Sans immediately knew what she was getting at. They’d have to get Alphys involved.

Sans exhaled deeply. “y’know she’s not gonna take it well.”

“No shit, bone head. But I don’t really think we have a choice, besides she deserves to know.” She stared at the fabric before taking out her phone and speed dialing her girlfriend.

-

Alphys carefully shimmied the cloth from the sterile bag into a machine to test for the chemicals it was doused in. The machine whirred and hummed. The three monsters waited patiently for the results to print while LD and GD napped. The couple’s home was filled with a tense atmosphere. Alphys’ tailed bounced from side to side as she watched the machine.

At last, a thin piece of paper, almost identical to a receipt, came out of the results printer. Alphys ripped it off, scaly hands shaking. The two other monsters held their breath, not knowing what to expect, waiting for the scientist to announce the result.

“I-Isoflurane.” A small breath of relief was emitted from the short skeleton followed by a shaky and unsure laugh.

“oh thank god.”

“What does that mean? Why the hell are you laughing, Sans?” The fish monster looked nervous and confused.

Alphys had walked over to her girlfriend and held her hand; she had forgot that Undyne didn’t have much of a scientific background. “It means that __________ was indeed taken. The chemical Isoflurane is a general anesthetic that simply knocks someone out. The concentration was much too low for any fatal symptoms.”

“Then why was he laughing? I don’t see what’s so funny about ________ getting knocked unconscious.” The fish monster shot a perplexed glance towards Sans.

“‘cause i thought it would be chloroform on it. with even a little bit of that chemical, it could’ve killed her.” Alphys nodded, thankful that someone else understood her wave of relief. “this means someone needs her for one reason or another and that it’s highly likely she is still alive.”

Sans gripped his chest again and grunted, the pain was becoming too unbearable for him to ignore it. “Sans, a-are you alright?”

“yea, i’m fine. we need to get movin’, we dunno know how long whoever took her plans to keep her alive.”

“Right. Let’s take Alphys back over to your place, Sans. She might be able to find something we missed.” The trio walked through the door that led into their garage., Alphys unlocking Undyne’s truck with her key fob. Undyne whistled and the dogs stood at attention immediately, awaiting their orders.

Undyne took the keys from the key holder by the door and lifted her blushing girlfriend with ease into the truck. The dogs jumped into the truck bed while Sans lazily teleported into the back. The fish monster pulled out of the garage and driveway.

-

Frisk bounced with excitement as their adoptive mother wrapped up the freshly baked butterscotch and cinnamon pie. The sweet, buttery aroma made their mouth fill drool that threatened to spill out. ‘ _Are we heading over now?_ ’ They signed frantically, Undyne had only told them a little about you but the child was desperate to meet you.

Toriel giggled, a sweet and bubbly sound, as she closed the oven with her hip and gave the small child a pat on the head. “Yes, my dear. Here, you can have the keys ready for me by the door.” She gestured at the key holder near the front door.

Frisk nearly tripped as they zoomed to the apartment door, having to jump up to reach the keys; Toriel giggled once more. “Alright, the pie is secure, I think we can go. Let's check by Asgore to see if he has not already left out.” The small child wiggled their eyebrows and winked at their mother, Toriel coughing to hide a burning blush threatening to tint her fur.

She unlocked the door and Frisk was somehow already at Asgore’s apartment door, knocking with frenzy. “Asgore!” Toriel chuckled and listened to her child's voice with adoration as Frisk only spoke when filled with strong emotion. After another round of Frisk knocking on the door, they concluded that he would have definitely came out if he were home.

“I guess he has beat us to leaving then? Oh well, let us get a move on.” Frisk nodded and ran down the steps of the complex and towards Toriel’s purple PT Cruiser.

The ride was uneventful as they arrived at the skeleton brothers house. They curiously eyed the small group that was carefully observing the lawn and driveway. They didn't even seem to notice the car that was trying to pull in. Toriel tapped the horn lightly and the group jumped before giving shy smiles and waves and moving out of the way.

Sans directed the car to park in a way so that Alphys could continue looking for any hints of your disappearance. Once parked, Frisk bolted out of the car to hug Sans, the skeleton chuckled in spite of the situation. Toriel, however, noticed the tense atmosphere of the group and raised an eyebrow at the short skeleton.

Once Frisk grew bored of making a playground out of Sans, they ran toward Undyne who crackled with amusement and playfully (and gently, once she saw the look Toriel gave her) wrestled with them. Sans took the opportunity to gesture Toriel to follow him in the house.

“What seems to be going on? You all look so worn down.” Toriel set the pie on the kitchen counter and directed her full attention toward Sans who looked conflicted. “And where is your new friend, __________, was it?”

“she's gone. woke up today for breakfast and she was missin’. thought she went in early for work but muffet hadn't even seen her.” Sans scratch the back of his skull, hoping him relaying the information would help him pick up one something he overlooked.

Toriel had worry creases that showed in her fur, her mouth was a firm line. “And why was I not informed of this sooner?” Sans took a shy step back, feeling Toriel’s silent anger seep from her soul. Her expression however, was unnervingly calm and collected as she glared down the skeleton.

“i- uh, i-i was so caught up in tryin’ to find her and h-her whereabouts i musta forgot.” Sans forced out a shaky laugh and Toriel’s glare softened as he finished. She was expecting him to make a pun; Sans normally told a pun when he was trying to cover up something.

“Alright. I believe you. But what have you all found out now? And how am I going to inform Frisk?” Toriel put a paw up to her chest in concern. “Oh, they were so excited to meet her.”

A chill ran up the short skeleton’s spine. He was worried if Toriel had told them, they'd try to reset again. He was not going through that hell again. “ya could just ask them to take a rain check.” The goat monster deadpanned. “alright, alright. i’ll.. see what i can do.”

“Do try to explain it in a way not to.. upset them.” Sans nodded as Toriel glanced around the house. “By the way, have you seen Asgore? I thought he would have been here by now.”

“can't say i have.” Sans shrugged.

“That's peculiar. He wasn't at home and he told me he'd come over to try to patch things up with _________.”

“maybe somethin’ popped up?” Sans scratched his skull, trying to offer suggestions.

“I suppose.”

“what, do ya miss him already? feelin’ bonely?” Sans wiggled his bonebrows at the goat monster, receiving a playful smack and a giggle in return. Soft footsteps padded quickly into the kitchen and Toriel looked down to find Frisk yanking at her sundress and frantically signing with tears in their eyes.

‘ _Hurry, come quick! Alphys! She passed out!_ ”

Toriel scooped up the child and rushed outside to address the situation, Sans in tow. Undyne was fanning and prodding her girlfriend to wake up while LD and GD were barking as if they had seen a ghost.

“What happened?!” The goat monster rushed over and sat next to Alphys. She lifted her hands above the scientist’s small form as jade magic spiraled around her arms forming small disks at her finger tips. Undyne, Frisk, and Sans watched in awe as Alphys stirred and regained consciousness.

She blushed in utter embarrassment to find the group staring at her with such genuine concern. “Oh thank god. Are you alright? Are you hurt? What happened?” Undyne looked over her girlfriend with a careful eye, her onslaught of questions resulting in Alphys laughing.

“O-Oh, I'm alright.” She stopped, realizing why she had even passed out in the first place.Her blood ran cold and she froze. “Oh my god, G-Gaster.”

“wanna run that name by me again.” Sans said in almost a whisper.

“The machine, it d-detected a sample of magic that had been collected after G-Gaster had fell into the core. His t-traces of magic were also in t-the lab. I ran the test t-three times, it's definitely a m-match.” Alphys’ tailed bounced uneasily. Did this mean he was the one who took you?

“That name. I haven't heard it in so long. Gaster.” Toriel said in a hushed whisper, almost to herself.

“So you mean to tell me some old guy rose from the dead and stole __________?”

“Y-Yes, so it seems. Though he was just some old guy, he was a brilliant scientist..” Alphys said.

‘What’s going on? __________ is missing?’ Frisk signed, looking completely clueless and worried. Toriel glared at Undyne, who immediately cowered and looked down.

“Frisk, would you be a dear and sit in the living while the grown ups chat.”

“I'm a grown up too!” The child huffed and signed.

“Please.” Toriel said lightly, although her glare carried enough threat that Frisk booked it inside. Toriel shook her head in exasperation. Kids these days.

Toriel rose to her feet, the rest of the group following suit. “I don't really know what all of this means, but at least we have some kind of lea  
Alphys nodded. “Y-Yes, this means we can most likely track any trail that this magic left. But we need to get back to my lab in the Underground, all of my equipment s-should be back by now.”

Sans shuddered at the thought of going back to the Underground. It would feel too familiar, but he knew it needed to be done. He hesitantly nodded.

-

You were sat down and strapped to a chair, the sack on your head was ripped off, nearly pulling your hair in the process. Your eyes stung as your vision adjusted to the harsh, bright lights. You barely make out a few monsters that were scattered around you, though they looked blended together. They were mumbling different things that you couldn't make out.

You froze in horror as you realized what you were looking at.

_The amalgamations._

You opened your mouth to scream but nothing came out as you tried to fidget your way out of the chair. The amalgamations inched closer and kept mumbling. You could see their liquefied body falling onto the floor before rejoining the main form. Your stomach churned.

“.... _help us_.”  
“... _it's_.. _so cold_....”  
“ _welcome to my special hell_..”

“..N.. **No**! **_No_**! Leave me alone!” Tears streamed down your face and you were frantically scratching and clawing at the chair. You need something, anything, to get out.

“.... _why are you crying_..?”  
“.... _you could have been one of us_ …”  
“.. _you should be_... _grateful_ …”

They came closer and joined together to form a massive amalgamation. “.. **you can't escape what you are**.”

You woke up with a start, sweat was dripping down your forehead and your clothes were stuck to your skin. You felt that you were in a bed but you didn't recognize who’s it was as it was pitch black.

“Oh good, you are awake. I do apologize for whatever injuries were inflicted on you while you were.. obtained. I have healed them to the best of my ability.” The voice spoke, startling you; you couldn't locate where it came from. It seemed to echo from within the entire room.

You touched your nose and was relieved to find it no longer crusted with blood. However, you weren't about to thank them. “Who are you? And where am I?” You shouted in built up anger. You were tired of this shit, what had you even done to deserve all of this?!

“Please try to relax. I will turn on the lights.” Just as the voice had said, the lights were flicked on and you could see a tall, skeletal monster studying you carefully. On closer inspection, you see his form was hazy as if he were a ghost. His lab coat floated behind him as he walked closer you, eyeing your soul with immense interest.

You turned away and folded your arms in an attempt to hide your soul from him. He chuckled darkly at this and appeared inches from you in one blink, your soul somehow pulled out. You could feel yourself being drained more than you already were at the sudden intrusion.

He examined it, a sad smile curling on his lips.

  
“Ah yes, this will do.”

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear this isn't a Gaster/Reader


End file.
